‘Barcelona didn’t value me’ – Suarez rubs salt into the wounds after Atletico title win

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 4 min read

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez took the opportunity to have a dig at his former club as he celebrated his fifth Spanish league title. 

The 34-year-old was deemed surplus to requirement at Barcelona last summer when new manager Ronald Koeman arrived and told the striker to leave. 

After a deal with Juventus fell through, Suarez ended up joining Atletico on a two-year deal. 

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Since then, Suarez has been nothing short of a revelation for Diego Simeone’s side and was vital to their title win on Saturday afternoon, when he scored the winning goal in Atleti’s 2-1 victory over Valladolid. 

Speaking after the game, the Uruguay international was tearing but took a moment to point the finger at his former club. 

“Barcelona didn’t value me and Atletico opened their doors for me,” the striker told Spanish TV at full time. “I will always be grateful to this club for trusting in me.”

How good has Suarez been for Atletico? 

While Suarez is certainly no spring chicken, the senior striker still managed to bag 21 goals and 12 assists for Barcelona last season and there was more than enough evidence to suggest he was still a very capable forward in the Spanish top flight. 

Fortunately for Atletico, the Uruguayan striker has done even better this season with no less than 21 goals in 38 games for Simeone’s side. 

While Suarez failed to score a single goal for his new club in this season’s Champions League, he routinely showed up with important goals in the title race. 

As well as Saturday’s all-important winner, Suarez was also on hand to score the only goal in a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in March, as well as goals and assists that ensured victories over Cadiz, Eibar, Alaves, Getafe and Elche. 

In other words, Atletico simply wouldn’t have won this season’s La Liga title if not for Suarez’s goals.