Luis Suarez inadvertently took a swipe at his Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi when he went on a rant about the Ballon d’Or award.
He did clarify things and add that the Argentine is “the best in world history” so perhaps we’ll just chalk it down to a bad day.
The 29-year-old seemingly had a nerve touched when asked about the Ballon d’Or on Thursday night and he went off on a tirade saying it’s got more to do with marketing than it has with achievements on the pitch.
But is he right about that?
Since Ronaldo won the award in 2008, no-one has broken the Messi-Cristiano stranglehold of the individual gong but it’s hardly got nothing to do with what the pair have done on the football field.
They’ve been hitting over a goal a game consistently, they’ve both been indisputably the two best players in the world, so whatever side of the bed Luis Suarez climbed out of, he should perhaps choose his words a little more carefully before he risks disrespecting the two greatest.
By the same token, the fact that the Uruguayan doesn’t really seem to be in the reckoning for the honour this time around is a little crazy.
Cristiano Ronaldo is odds on to clinch his fourth title but both Messi and Antoine Griezmann are ahead of Suarez in the betting odds for the next Ballon d’Or winner.
In 59 games last season, Suarez hit 62 goals. 62. This season, he’s already added nine to his Barcelona tally and has taken just 12 matches to do so. He was the catalyst for Luis Enrique’s double success, securing another La Liga and Copa del Rey title and he should be recognised higher than all others for what he did in 2016, barring Ronaldo.
But he doesn’t expect that to happen any time soon.
“The Ballon d’Or is more to do with marketing and press than for achievements on the pitch,” Suarez told reporters after winning the European Golden Shoe.
“I’ve earned all the awards I’ve been given. The Golden Shoe is for scoring the most goals and there’s no option for people to take that away from me.
“I don’t have a chance [with] the Ballon d’Or because it works around marketing and I don’t have that. My ambition is to win another Champions League, that would be great.”
Did Messi or Ronaldo not earn their awards?
“I was referring to getting on the podium,” he clarified. “To win it is impossible because I have the privilege of playing with the best in the world [Messi] and an excellent person. He’s the best in history.”
But was he much better than Suarez this year? Nothing should be taken away from the achievements and accolades of Messi and Ronaldo but here is a player now at the very peak of his powers and he’s scoring goals like they’re going out of fashion.
No-one is suggesting that Suarez is better than either of the two or that he should win the Ballon d’Or, but surely it’s about time he’s been recognised properly and not overlooked because someone had a few games at the Euros.
Whatever controversies Suarez was caught up in in the past, he’s one of the world’s best football players but probably won’t ever get the chance to be considered in that breath or to share a stage with Ronaldo or Messi.
And it’s not because of what he’s done or not done on the pitch. It’s because of who he is.
You can catch up on the latest episode of JOE’s Football Friday Live right here…
