When Luis Suarez took the very first step towards a professional career in football, as a young child on the streets of Uruguay, he did so without even wearing anything on his feet. The Liverpool forwards unique style of play is often described as that of a street footballer - fighting for every inch of space, tricking the opponent and attempting to win above all else. Its an assessment the No.7 agrees with, having quite literally learned his trade by practising skills with his uncle, barefoot in the avenues of his hometown, and playing non- stop with his brother. That education has been carried through to the Barclays Premier League, where Suarez has utterly dominated the season so far, scoring more goals and providing more assists than any other player. Im definitely still doing things I used to try on the streets, he reflects in FourFourTwo magazine this month. I guess Im still a botija, a street kid who relies on the cunning I learned on the streets. These days, Im not thinking intuitively about these skills; they just come out of me as instinct. I remember when I was four or five, first kicking a ball around the streets of Salto with one of my uncles. We didnt have enough money for shoes, so he taught me to play barefoot. Theyre beautiful memories that Ill never forget. I never, and I mean never, imagined Id reach where I am today. Even now, I think back to those days and its incredible to think that boy is where he is now. I played mostly with my younger brother, who Im a year older than. The two of us were inseparable from a ball. We used to break so much stuff at home by kicking a ball around. I remember wed set our beds up in our room so that we could play against each other. Once we broke a bed practising volleys and diving headers, and my mum was furious with us. It was just the pure ambition to play football at any time. In Uruguay, Suarez would be attributed with garra charrua - a phrase which encapsulates the tenacity and determination shown by his national team throughout the history of football. The man himself believes that spirit is something that has been ingrained in his psyche ever since those early days on the streets of Salto, where he was born. He added: I wouldnt say I necessarily have la garra charrua. Us Uruguayans have been used to having nothing from an early age. Achieving anything is far from easy, so this garra, this hunger to succeed, is within me and definitely part of why Ive reached this level in football.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 13:40:37 +0000
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