Football is a fickle game.
Luis Suarez has been embarrassing defenders at the highest level for nearly 10 years and has taken Barcelona to new realms since he swapped Merseyside for Catalonia in 2014.
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But once you pass the wrong side of 30 the vultures come circling.
And Suarez – certainly by his standards – endured a dodgy start to the season, scoring just three La Liga goals before November.
The Uruguayan star was visibly irritated by his form, regularly cursing to himself during games and openly admitting he was going through a tough phase.
Lionel Messi and co. continued to thrive despite Suarez’s malaise but many felt the Catalan giants should start to identify his replacement.
But the Liverpool icon has laughed in the face of those who felt his best days were behind him and responded in the most emphatic way possible.
After scoring twice against Leganes on November 18, Suarez has bagged 13 goals in as many games across all competitions and 10 in his last eight.
And, unsurprisingly, Barca’s number nine has been rewarded for his blistering spell by being named La Liga Player of the Month for December – on the day of his 31st birthday.
It’s not just the frequency of the goals either.
Suarez was back to his insatiable best as Barca dispatched Real Madrid in the Clasico before Christmas, scoring the opener in that 3-0 win at the Bernabeu.
He also produced a genuine Goal of the Season contender last weekend as the La Liga leaders survived a scare to come back from 2-0 down at Real Sociedad.
Suarez’s case again points to that old adage; form is temporary, class is permanent.
People are too trigger happy to write off the cream of the crop and Suarez, as Cristiano Ronaldo will too, has unerringly underlined his star quality in the face of intensified scrutiny.
Nobody is untouchable, all players go through rough patches.
But, ultimately, there’s no better player in world football to lead Barcelona’s attack.
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