Not usually known for showing his softer side, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez was filmed in tears leaving Barcelona’s training ground for the last time ahead of his proposed move to Atletico Madrid.
A deal has been agreed between the two clubs to take Suarez to the Spanish capital, ending a fruitful six years at Camp Nou, and the 33-year-old could not hide his emotions when filmed leaving the club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground on Wednesday after he was deemed "dispensable" by president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Suarez, who joined Barca in 2014 in one of the most expensive deals in football history, was captured appearing visibly upset and looked to be at one point crying as he drove past press cameras.
The striker joined from Liverpool in a £65 million move in 2014 and found immediate success, winning a La Liga, Copa Del Rey and UEFA Champions League treble in his first season, despite missing the start of the campaign as part of a ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.
Forming part of the ‘MSN’ strike partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar, Suarez went on to win the FIFA Club World Cup in 2015, as well as a further three La Liga titles and three Spanish cups in Barca’s last streak of glory.
Suarez, who was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra while a Liverpool player in 2011, looked close to moving to Serie A side Juventus but restrictions on foreign players caused the deal to collapse.
In a failed bid to gain Italian citizenship, Suarez sat a language exam. Police are now investigating whether he may have cheated on the test.
Also on rt.com Juve got to be joking: Police probing if Luis Suarez CHEATED Italian citizenship exam ahead of failed Juventus moveThe star now looks set to join Atletico Madrid, which were reportedly not on a list of clubs which he was forbidden to join by a clause in his contract; which included Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain and Atleti rivals Real Madrid, and will link up with former Chelsea striker Diego Costa in attack at the Wanda Metropolitano.
For Barcelona this is a transfer deal they are willing to take a hit on, after the saga of whether Lionel Messi would leave the club for Manchester City was punctuated by Barca's all-time top scorer giving a public interview confirming he was staying with the club.