Lonesome Luis Suarez walks alone

Lonely: Suarez has nobody but himself to blame. (Getty Images)

You will never walk alone. But you may bloody well train alone. Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is a lonely, lonely man. And it’s no surprise that, like always, he is guilty of his own follies.

The Uruguayan epitomises the modern footballer by proving – in his own little way – that there is no place for loyalty in sport today. Earlier this year, Suarez stated that he wanted a move, citing the English media’s intrusion into his private life.

But after Arsenal’s unusual £40m plus one pound bid – placed to trigger an apparent clause in his contract – was rejected, Suarez reiterated his desire to leave Anfield, claiming that the club had previously promised to sanction his leave if they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

Manager Brendan Rodgers maintained that no such promises were made, accusing Suarez of showing “total disrespect” towards the club. Nobody can deny that the 26-year-old’s behaviour is reminiscent of a rebellious teen who hasn’t gotten his way with his folks.

Having stomped his feet and thrown a tantrum, Suarez pinned his hopes on a carefully-placed interview with The Guardian.

All that resulted in was him being ordered to train away from the first team – solitary confinement or detention if you will – as punishment for his petulance. But a more telling effect of it was that it painted a powerful image of the lonely modern day footballer.

Apart from being disloyal, the striker’s ungratefulness towards the Merseyside club not only goes to prove what kind of player he is, but also the kind of person he really is. Suarez’s reputation was already tarnished but the sheer imprudence of his public stunt has gone on to hurt Liverpool’s as well.

Liverpool always knew what kind of player Suarez was when they signed him in January 2011. Prior to his £22.6m move, Suarez was banned for seven games for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal in November 2010. Dutch daily De Telegraaf branded Suarez the “Cannibal of Ajax”.

Yet they gambled on him, a gamble that seemed to pay off, until now. There is no doubt that Suarez is a majestic footballer, but he is one with a loose screw. Despite being guilty of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011, Liverpool stuck by him even as their PR policy received a huge media backlash.

With the team already reeling in the aftermath of the Uruguayan’s innumerable disputes, Suarez’s light fuse blew again when he bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of last season. He topped that by accusing Rodgers of not granting him his “wish” of big-time European football.

Liverpool have, in recent memory at least, been a club in transition, one which rather than challenging for the title, aim for a top four finish, and Suarez is a vital cog in that process. Suarez has missed 19 games – that is half a season – for having been suspended without having received a red card.

Sadly for them, Suarez doesn’t see Liverpool as a club rich in tradition but as just another day job. He may have been Liverpool’s top scorer, with 30 goals in all competitions last season, but he quite simply does not value the red jersey.

This is what makes Arsenal’s advances rather peculiar. For one, Arsene Wenger is never known to break the bank. Yet he wishes to do so for someone like Suarez. Agreed, the North Londoners can offer the striker Champions League football, but there is no guaranteeing that he will change his ways.

Secondly, Wenger rarely relies on established stars and focuses on developing unpolished gems. Does this misguided pursuit mean the hardened veteran, who loves to be rather picky and miserly in the market, is changing his ways?

Suarez has no place in the history of Liverpool, no matter how talented a player he is. And for that matter, he shouldn’t have his place in Arsenal’s either. As fruitless as an English breakfast is, Suarez is a rotten apple in the basket and isn’t worth the time or effort.

Rodgers advised Suarez to apologise to his team-mates for his recent conduct before being welcomed back. But that is something the striker has “no plans” of doing.

Suarez does not understand that he must repay the club for all that they have offered him while trying to repair his damaged status. This soap opera has simply justified that the modern game is putrid and Liverpool must cut their losses on a self-obsessed, ill-tempered and selfish human being.

Chastised and vilified, understandably so, Suarez is better off taking that long walk alone.