Luis Suárez: The Moments That Made Them

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0:55Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football with Michael Richards, Alan Shearer and me, Gary Lineker on this week's episode of Premier League Greats, the moments that made them. We're talking about a player actually who only had three and a half seasons, 110 appearances in the Premier League which is a sign, the fact he's got in this series is a sign of his greatness as a footballer in many ways. It is certain Luis Suarez who, Micah, you would have played a game. Yeah. Just everybody. I'm the only Olympian here. so you might as well talk about that. Oh, you played against him. Yeah, I'm Olympian, I'm Olympics 2012.

1:32Where's the medal? Clean sheet. He shows you medal. No medal. I got injured. Ankle. Otherwise. Otherwise, I mean, I'm just getting him out of the pocket here. Suarez and Cavani up front. No problem at all. Me and Stephen Corker at the back dealt with them. Clean sheet. Clean sheet. Although, there was a moment. What kind of moment? I got twisted up. I got twisted. that he just you know that thing that he does where it looks like he's going to shoot and he chops and he chops again and he chops again and I was just all over the place but Corker saved me clean sheet

2:08Alan Shearer:well done he did have that ability Suarez didn't he that he'd almost try and run through players and often it would pay off you know he'd go for a little nutmeg and he wasn't one of those that'd just go and play safe he took chances there were times

2:24Gary Lineker:where you used to think he's actually got lucky but he did it so often that it wasn't luck it was actually incredible ability wasn't it the way he ran with it and he came out of the right side with the ball

2:34Alan Shearer:yeah 110 appearances 69 goals and 23 assists PFA team of the year twice and football of the year 2013-14 just the one league cup obviously Liverpool they went very close didn't they at that point but I remember funny enough we went to Amsterdam with Harry about I don't know a year or so before they signed Suarez Liverpool signed him and we went to watch this game it was Ajax against PSV and they had this little fellow up front Ajax and we were both going my God how good is he and it was it was Suarez before he was and then they brought him didn't they to Anfield and everyone was going it was mid-season wasn't it

3:18Gary Lineker:I think I'm right in saying was that they got the Torres money and then they brought in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, wasn't he?

3:28Alan Shearer:I think Suarez was probably slightly the better player. So we thought to himself and then he came to the Premier League and he was even better than he looked on that occasion. So many amazing, amazing performances. And I think it was one of the best ever seasons. And we'll have a little bit of discussion here because it actually features you, Alan, because in the 2013-14 campaign, and he scored 31 goals and 12 assists in just 33 appearances. That free kick being one of those goals. But it is Luis Suarez. It's around the wall and it's brilliant. He had a real incredible range of goal scoring, didn't he?

4:09Alan Shearer:31 and 34. 31 goals in 33. Wow, 33. With 12 assists as well. Wow. And did not take one single penalty. and Steven Gerrard who was the then penalty take for Liverpool scored 10 penalties imagine if he'd been on penalties he could he would have gone around well good maths Michael round it up he might have missed two you know what I mean so he's on 39 yeah or there might have been a couple of penalties in the games when he was injured and didn't play so but he would have he could argue it was one of the best seasons ever by comparison Thierry Henry had 30 goals and 6 assists in 2003 3-4 Ronaldo of course when he won the Ballon d 'Or with 31 goals and 6 assists Haaland's first season 36 goals and 8 assists Salah in 2024 25 got 29 goals and 18 assists and Alan yours 95-96 31 goals 7 assists but a lot of penalties I remember 34

5:11Gary Lineker:and the season before that I think what about these 42 games I think in five Oh, right. Does that not count then? No. Well, it's an extra four games. And? Well, it's unfair advantage. If you've got an extra four games to score goals, of course it's going to look better. Yeah. So we'll just go back to him.

5:32Alan Shearer:31 and 33 is amazing. What's extraordinary though is he also missed the first five matches through suspension, which is extraordinary. I always also think, I mean, I thought he was unbelievable, a finisher and player an all-round thing I mean he's had three and a half seasons and to make the impact he did even though they didn't quite get over the line to win a title did they

5:58Gary Lineker:with Sterling with Sturridge what does Daniel you're good pals with him what does he say about him he must say he was incredible I've got to be careful how I word this because Daniel thought he was the main man you know he thought he was better than Tua no no no see I don't think In his head, he just was like, well, that's okay. No, no. You can't believe in yourself. Suarez was just different level, wasn't he? I mean, them three up front. Yeah. They had everything. Pace, skill, football intelligence, finishing as well. But they didn't win the league. So, you know, when you mentioned that list, that's what I asked you.

6:35When you scored them goals, 31, did you win the league?

6:38Gary Lineker:Season 94, 95, you won the league. Yes. So, the season before, when you scored 31. 34, yeah. and that's when that's when we won the league that's when you won the league but so you didn't win so yeah it's not as good as well he had 42 games what is it 42 42 games yeah 34 what do you mean it's not a good what the fuck are you going on about because you try to do like the goals per game but so the season when he won the league he scored 34 goals but he had 42 games yeah so the season when he scored 31 goals he didn't win the league so you're irrelevant moving on I need to call a break at this point.

7:23Alan Shearer:This episode is powered by Fuse Energy. Before we kick off, a quick pre-match warm-up from Fuse. One question, four options, and two contestants. Today's a little question for you, lads. Which goalkeeper has the most clean sheets in Champions League history? Is it A, Iker Casillas? B, Gianluigi Buffon. C, Manuel Neuer. Or D, Edwin van der Zah.

7:53Gary Lineker:Manuel Neuer for me. You know what?

7:56Alan Shearer:I'm going to be different. I'm going to go Buffon. You're going to go Buffon? Yeah. Well, Micah, that was not correct. The answer was one, Manuel Neuer. Yes. All right, role play. Yes. The best sides don't give things away. should be the same with your energy. Get more than just lower rates at FuseEnergy.com slash football. Use the code FUTBALL, all uppercase when you sign up. Save around£200 on your energy bill and get the chance to ask us your football questions on the pod. Full terms and conditions at FuseEnergy.com. So going back to the point I was saying, they didn't get over the line with Liverpool.

8:40If they would have won the league, probably what known as the greatest season I would say.

8:46Alan Shearer:Yeah, if. If, if, if. And there's an if. I think we can have a discussion if it wasn't the best season ever. We can certainly have a discussion because we had it didn't we a few weeks ago when we talked about Dennis Bergkamp's hat-trick. What's the best hat-trick ever in the Premier League and I would argue that it's this one. This is by far the best hat-trick. Against Norwich City. I mean the first goal is extraordinary. This was probably the simplest of goals even though that's not easy. Look at the technique though. And the strength. This one here is just ridiculous. You think he's got to shoot it there?

9:21And then, that Micah

9:23Gary Lineker:is a half volley. Watch this Micah, look. How it just bounces on the floor and it's on the wheel half volley. That's a half volley.

9:33Alan Shearer:And that is a free kick. Oh my gosh. Do you not think that's a half volley Micah? Yes, that is my whole point because it bounced. It's a half volley. Can we go now back to the second goal from the corner? Okay. Here we go. How do you describe this one? Half volley. That is not... So what do you call that a volley? I call that a shot. Okay, wait, okay. But if it's anything, it's more a volley than a half volley. You made the point when it's going up off the floor. I give you that. But then you made a point last time I was talking about this. It depends where it is. If you look when the corner comes in, it's about the same height.

10:12So it's got to be a half volley. It's just a shot. It's just a shot. It's ridiculous.

10:18Gary Lineker:It's a bloody good shot. It's not a half volley. You know, the last argument we had, 70 % of the people agreed with me. Get the poll out. Hey, it's Johnny Boy. Get the poll out.

10:31Alan Shearer:52 % of this country voted for Brexit, mate. All right, Farage. I made you on the wrong pod, mate.

10:46Gary Lineker:the public ain't always right you're right about that little flick over it's so good it looks like this one there look at that look because it looks like he's going to hit it there little disguise and then look at the defender Bennett he has to adjust his position and choose this is

11:03Alan Shearer:I cannot think you can get a better hat trick than that no that's the best that is the best and four goals actually as well adds to it really scoring four did that take a nick off the wall though oh no did it oh did it let's have a look at the last replay did that take a nick because the the ball seemed to deviate oh

11:23Gary Lineker:it does it goes up doesn't it it does but that's a foreplay

11:27Alan Shearer:it's irrelevant we're talking about actually that's even better because if he actually deliberately just made it flick someone's head I mean that's it that's real real ability yeah oh what a player what a player you know when you go in and you you got your opponents and it wouldn't happen to you because you guys are strikers but you know sometimes the night before you're thinking fuck really do you actually think of some players like Suarez and Cavani going into that game and you just think it's going to be problems because I like to burst out defence and all that get involved but you know you just got to stay put and if he scores it's going to be on social it's going to get embarrassed you know if he would have scored if someone would have scored when he chopped me I'd have been all over socials in that game did you actually no it's a serious question now did you worry about social media clips when you actually played er not not sure it was sort of the start wasn't it yeah because I obviously neither of us played in an era where there was social media so which is it wasn't as heavy as it was now right back then you sort of could get away with it but there'd be some account that'd post you yeah like you're just getting twisted up and now people are bringing them clips back so oh right yeah yeah wait till they spot your position on that Rain Rooney goal that we showed in in previous episodes but no it was more the papers have you ever had like a 2 or 3 out of 10 the lowest you used to get was a 4 no no I've had lower than that there were only a couple of papers that did it really affect you

13:06Gary Lineker:if you got a 10 of course it did really Of course he did. I told you this story about me going to the training ground and you know, the papers are all there. Got all the papers and put them in the locker so no one could read. I did. I'm not exaggerating because he's just thinking, and especially me, like I let it get to my head, didn't I? You know what I mean? 18, driving Aston Martins, you know, big houses and all that. I thought I was the bollocks. So I had to play up to this character, sort of like big meeks. I'm always happy but I'm not always loud and obnoxious I'm not always that but I sort of you know how you are now you go into that you go into that character don't you especially on TV so like when I was everyone was talking oh he's so good he's going to get 100 cats of England you've got to tell yourself that then you get ego and when it doesn't happen then you read the news oh my gosh and it was a sun the news of the world

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15:59Alan Shearer:I suppose with Suarez, with all his brilliance, he has had moments of controversy in his career. A couple of biting incidents. One of those was obviously a game against Chelsea with Ivanovic. Another one was in the World Cup. It very much looks as if he has actually bitten Ivanovic.

16:22What is he doing? I don't know. He spoils himself though. He doesn't need to do that.

16:26Alan Shearer:He's too good for that. he's obviously got that red mist moment in him and it's I think if it's in you it's in you but I mean but it's just such a strange thing to do never seen that it's a little bit of a stain on it you know his character he's better than that and then he obviously had the kind of racist accusations with Patrice Everill yeah Patrice Everill as well didn't shake his hand do you remember when I was lining up that's right didn't shake his hand and then I spoke to Jamie Carragher about this recently Because Liverpool reacted, didn't they? Came all out in support. T-shirts and everything.

17:01Alan Shearer:I thought, it just didn't. But he denied it though, didn't he? He denied it at first. So they come out with Suarez T-shirts in support. And then Jamie Carragher recently said they got it wrong. Liverpool got it wrong. Liverpool got it wrong. And he said that. Because he was vice captain at the time. But I think he said Stephen Jarrett wasn't playing. So he was like at the forefront of everything. and he just said he regrets it now because that's the only way he knew how to deal with it at the time because that tribality comes in a little bit like that's exactly a little bit like the situation we've seen recently with Vinicius Junior and Cristiani and you know and then suddenly Benfica everyone gets together and Jose and they'll defend people sometimes when it's indefensible yeah yeah but he's he doesn't need to do all that does he I no We all get emotional on the pitch, don't we?

17:57But he just takes it to the front. There's a line you don't cross. Exactly.