Luis Suarez believes Steven Gerrard's slip against Chelsea was destiny

Luis Suarez took part in Steven Gerrard’s testimonial match at Anfield

Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has hailed former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard as one of his best friends in football and described his costly slip against Chelsea as ‘destiny’, according to a report by ESPN FC. The Barcelona forward also added that he wouldn’t have been at Nou Camp if he had not listened to Gerrard’s words ahead of the 2013/14 season.

Liverpool came very close to winning the Premier League title that season thanks largely to a stellar season from Suarez. He scored 31 goals and provided 21 assists in just 33 games and it looked like the Reds would end their 24-year-wait for England's top prize.

But Gerrard's slip against Chelsea in their 2-0 loss at Anfield proved costly as Liverpool had to settle for second place at the end of the campaign, but the Barcelona striker believes the title was never meant to be.

"I wish that we would have ended as champions. Things happened in the Chelsea game and, well, that's destiny,” the former Liverpool man said.

Gerrard one of my best friends in football, says Suarez

The now 28-year-old joined Barcelona at the end of that season and has formed a deadly strikeforce with Lionel Messi and Neymar helping his new club to a dream treble. Suarez though revealed that he could have ended up elsewhere (read Arsenal) had Gerrard not egged him to stay at Anfield.

“He convinced me to stay when I was close to signing with Arsenal. He told me to wait, that one of the best teams in Europe would come looking for me if you have a great season. That's one of the things I always remembered and he was right because then next year Barcelona came to sign me,” Suarez said.

The Uruguayan, who came face to face against his former teammate in a pre-season friendly between the Spanish club and the Englishman’s new MLS club LA Galaxy, opened up further on the special bond he shares with Gerrard.

“I definitely consider him one of my best friends in soccer because of what he meant to me on a personal level. In soccer, it is difficult to make many friends, very complicated because everything that revolves around the sport.”

“But he is one of the best because of all the support he gave me on a sporting level and through all the criticism I received in England, he didn't care and he always stood up for me in all the cases. The racism, Ivanovic, everything, he always showed me how I should treat a teammate, the club, and everything,” he said.