As Luis Suarez is set to make his debut for Barcelona against Real Madrid, Madrid coach and legendary player Zinedine Zidane has added fuel to the fire of the intense rivalry, saying that club didn’t need the former Liverpool striker.
Speaking ahead of El Clasico, Zidane told the press: “There are always reports linking the big players with Real Madrid, but we had no contact with Liverpool regarding Suarez in the summer – he is not a player that we felt we needed.
“When Real Madrid want a player we work very hard to get the transfer done, but it was not a player we wanted.”
Suarez was linked to numerous clubs prior to his departure from Liverpool, before the Merseyside team sold the Uruguayan to Barca for a bank-busting ÂŁ75million, despite him being sidelined with a lengthy ban due to the biting incident that took place during the World Cup 2014.
While Suarez’ career with Liverpool was inarguably a tumultuous one, particularly in his latest season the striker outshone his teammates and, alongside Daniel Sturridge, proved to be an indomitable force in front of goal. While questions regarding his character still remain following accusations of racism and numerous instances of violence displayed on the pitch, Suarez’s absence has proven to be difficult for Liverpool to cope with at the beginning of this Premier League season, with Mario Balotelli failing on all counts to fill the role the 27-year-old vacated.
Zidane continued: “He (Suarez) is obviously a very good player, but it was not a player we feel we needed to add to the squad. The players we acquired in the summer were exactly the players we wanted.”
There is still debate over whether or not Suarez will be in the starting line-up for El Clasico on Saturday (October 25th), but with Barcelona releasing a video hyping his debut for the club it seems likely that will be the case.
With Suarez, Messi and Neymar on one side and Ronaldo, Benzema and Rodriguez on the other, it’s a match that many are hoping will be one of the greatest this year has to offer.
[Via Daily Mail]
Photo: Getty images
