I’m getting mental help – Suarez

• Posted on November 14, 2014November 14, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The 27-year-old is taking his anger issues seriously and has sought specialist help in a bid to ensure the red mist never descends again

Barcelona star Luis Suarez has revealed how he is receiving psychological help in a bid to overcome the anger problems that have seen him suspended twice in 15 months for biting opposition players.

The Uruguay international’s most recent offence occurred during the World Cup, where he was caught sinking his teeth into Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder.

That incident saw him handed a four-month suspension from all football, after he had been banned for 10 games for doing the same thing to Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match against Chelsea in April 2013.

Now a Barca player following his summer move from Liverpool, the 27-year-old is keen to prove that he is a changed man by talking about the steps he has taken to banish his disciplinary problems once and for all.

He told El Observador: “After the suspension I had some really hard times. I’m getting psychological help and the club have been a constant support.”

As he moved ever closer to his return to football against Real Madrid on October 25, Suarez was also accused of being fat by sections of the press, but he has now spoken out against those who questioned his fitness.

“I was never overweight,” he added. “It was just as Luis Enrique said on one occasion: ‘Tell me when you see Luis Suárez thin’. The doctor who carries out the medicals at the club said that I was one of the six players at Barcelona who had the lowest percentage of fat and lowest weight. It was all part of the newspapers’ game.”

His inability to control his temper has seemingly been the factor behind Suarez’s omission from the list of candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or, but rather than protest against the snub, the former Ajax man is remaining philosophical, while targeting his first league goals for his new club.

“I’m sure I haven’t been nominated because of what I did at the World Cup. But in that case, they should take into account all those who did nothing at the World Cup. It hurts you, because I did a lot of things at Liverpool last year. But in football there’s always another chance. It’ll come.”

He added: “I’m not worried. If I don’t score goals and we win, I’ll be happy all the same. I really want to celebrate a goal in the shirt of the team I’ve always dreamed of – but we all have droughts.”

Alec Fenn