Luis Suarez is easily one of the best football players on the planet. He is, however, involved in more than his fair share of controversy. Whether in Netherlands, England or Uruguay, Suarez never shied away from the limelight and often took centre stage due to his off the ball antics.
Also read: 10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic controversies that shocked the world
While certain players are known to get into trouble due to their temper(Joey Barton in particular), others diffuse fiery situations with an aura of calm and poise. Luis Suarez definitely belongs to the former category.
Trending
On that note, let’s take a look at Luis Suarez’s 10 most controversial moments.
#10 Hair pulling incident
In a heated encounter between Manchester United and Liverpool, Jamie Carragher launched into a poor challenge on United right back Rafael. The Brazilian responded by making a poor foul on Lucas, this was followed by a brawl, with a number of players from both sides getting involved.
Luis Suarez was seen grabbing hold of a fistful of Rafael’s hair and yanking on it in an attempt to dislodge it from his scalp. The Barcelona striker received no punishment though and the game went on without further incidents. This was just one of many controversies the ex-Liverpool striker was involved in during his time in the Premier League.
#9 Middle finger shown at Fulham fans
Suarez was awarded a 1 game ban for an offensive gesture directed towards Fulham fans in December 2011. While walking off the pitch after a 1-0 defeat to the Craven Cottage side, the Uruguayan was seen holding up the middle finger to the Fulham fans.
The 29-year-old had earlier been on the receiving end of a stream of ‘cheat’ chants directed at him by the home fans who were enraged by his constant diving. Apart from the 1 game ban, he also received an 8 game ban for his racial slur towards Evra just a few days later.
The controversial striker was also handed a £20,000 fine by the FA.
#8 Hand of God #1
A moment of outright cheating by Suarez came when Liverpool were struggling to overcome Mansfield in the 2013 FA Cup. Despite creating a number of chances, the Reds were left frustrated by Mansfield’s dogged defending and were beginning to run out of patience when Suarez decided to produce a moment of... well let’s call it magic.
After his shot was initially saved by the keeper, he decided on showcasing his basketball skills and handled the ball past the keeper before tapping into an empty net. To cap it all off, the 29-year-old wheeled away, kissing his wrist in celebration, leaving the Mansfield players and fans devastated with the proceedings.
#7 Dive against Everton
Luis Suarez got his own back on David Moyes in a Merseyside derby in 2012 as the manager had, prior to the game, pointed finger at the Uruguayan for diving in previous derbies. With tempers already at a high as was expected, Suarez opened the scoring for the Reds before running full pelt to the dugout, throwing himself into the air and completing a perfect dive right in front of the Everton manager.
To enrage the Everton fans further, he went on to score Liverpool’s second as well. Liverpool were, however, unable to secure the win after a late Everton fightback. If only the Uruguayan had a partner in crime, he could easily make Uruguay’s synchronized diving team at the Olympics.
#6 Bite on Otman Bakkal
Luis Suarez got his first taste of human flesh while playing for Ajax against PSV in 2010. After skipping lunch, the Uruguayan satisfied his appetite by taking a bite out of Otman Bakkal during a coming together of the players. Bakkal’s look of utter shock and perplexity will probably be etched into football fans’ memories for eternity.
Also read: Luis Suarez finally reveals why he bites people
Suarez, in an attempt to downplay the incident said, "In football, everything is forgotten in the field." The Uruguayan was handed a 7 match ban for his antics but a move to Liverpool later meant that his career was unaffected.
#5 Bite on Branislav Ivanovic
In a Premier League encounter against Chelsea, the striker took a huge bite at Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic. The referee initially missed the incident and the Uruguayan was not penalised for his actions despite Ivanovic showing the bite marks to the referee and his assistant. To rub salt into the wound, Suarez then went on to score Liverpool’s equaliser just minutes later.
Suarez did face consequences after the match, though, and was served a 10 match suspension by the FA. The Uruguayan, for once, seemed genuinely apologetic and took to Twitter to make a heartfelt apology.
#4 Bite on Giorgio Chiellini
If you think 2 bans can stop a player of Luis Suarez’s abilities, think again. In a World Cup game against Italy in 2014, Suarez had a tough time against Juventus centre-half Giorgio Chiellini. With just 10 minutes to go, the 29-year-old decided that he had had enough and lost his head completely, sinking his teeth into the Italian defender’s arm.
The Uruguayan then rolled on to the ground writhing in pain and clutching his teeth after the incident while the Italian players surrounded the referee enraged.
Despite the incident being caught on camera, Suarez denied any wrongdoing. "These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder. "
He was awarded a 4-month ban later on by FIFA. However, he did apologise to Chiellini later.
#3 Racism
Suarez is a man of many talents. Deciding that biting, diving and offensive gestures were not sufficient on his CV, the Uruguayan decided to add racism to that list. This time in a Premier League game against Manchester United, the ex-Liverpool striker racially abused United left-back Patrice Evra.
The Uruguayan went on a rant in Spanish directed at the Frenchman and repeated a particular offensive world as many as 10 times. Despite proclaiming his innocence, he was handed an 8 game suspension.
The controversy didn’t end there, though. In a subsequent fixture against the Red Devils, Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand during the pre-match ritual, adding more fuel to an already raging fire.
#2 Punch in the face
Another instance where Suarez was frustrated by defenders doing their job was in a game against Chile. While marking the Uruguayan in a set piece, Gonzalo Jara got one right in the jaw from Suarez. While Mohammad Ali would be proud of the perfect timing and execution of the punch, poor Jara had a completely different perspective.
The Chilean, to his credit, did not make a meal of the incident and although a few angry words were exchanged, the game went on without further controversy. The Uruguayan, meanwhile, was let off with a warning and received no fine or ban of any kind despite video replays confirming his actions.
#1 Hand of God #2
Probably Suarez’s most controversial moment came in Uruguay’s 2010 World Cup game against Ghana. Uruguay were hanging on desperately for a draw in the quarterfinals and with extra time approaching, Ghana was pushing on for a win.
The Ghanaians had their golden chance just minutes from full time when a goal-mouth scramble resulted in a header from Dominic Adiyiah making its way into an open net. Luis Suarez though was having none of it.
The striker who was back on his goal line in a defensive role threw out an outstretched arm and literally flung the ball out of the goal. He did receive a red card for his efforts and Ghana went on to receive a penalty which Gyan missed sparking wild celebrations on the touchline from the man of the moment, Suarez, himself.
Uruguay went on to win the game and the striker was hailed as a hero. A despicable cheat more like.
"I made the best save of the tournament." claimed Luis to further incense Ghana fans.
