Luis Suarez is likely to play his first competitive game for Barcelona in La Liga’s “Clasico” against Real Madrid later this month and he says it is no coincidence his biting ban expires the day before one of the biggest fixtures in world soccer.
FIFA sidelined the controversial Uruguay striker for four months and banned him for nine competitive internationals after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup finals in Brazil.
“You know, I’m the kind of person who believes that things happen for a reason,” Suarez said in an interview published on Barca’s website (www.fcbarcelona.es) on Tuesday.
“Out of all 19 teams in the league, it’s precisely against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu that I’ll make my comeback,” added the 27-year-old. “There must be a reason.”
Suarez will join Lionel Messi and Neymar in a formidable Barca attack and he said he was “hungry” to help the club return to winning ways after they failed to win major silverware last season.
“All I can say is that I have arrived with the desire to be a success at Barca that I am hungry to win titles,” Suarez said.
“I have the chance to play for the team that I have always wanted to play for and it’s a chance I intend to make the most of. I want to show the fans that I want to be a success at Barca and to help my team mates as much as I can.”
Suarez said he had found it difficult to admit to his attack on Chiellini and it had taken him a few days before he was able to “face the truth”.