Granada's Gaston Silva says Luis Suarez is on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
What’s the story?
Granada FC defender, Gaston Silva believes that his fellow national, Luis Suarez is on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 22-year-old Uruguayan is also from Salto in Uruguay, the birthplace of Luis Suarez, and believes that the 30-year-old striker deserves more praise for what he has achieved in football.
"He is at the same level as Messi and Ronaldo," the Granada defender said. "He is one of the best forwards in the world, and he deserves everything as a person and a player."
Luis Suarez celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday as the Barcelona striker continues his good run of form in front of the goal.
In case you didn’t know...
During his time at Anfield, Luis Suarez mesmerised Liverpool fans with his energy and incredible goalscoring ability. But after four successful seasons at Liverpool, which saw him become one of the club’s best ever strikers, the Uruguayan moved to FC Barcelona for £64.98 million back in 2014. In 133 appearances, El Pistolero, as his fans fondly called him, scored a staggering 82 goals for the Reds.
Also Read: Luiz Felipe Scolari reveals who he thinks is the better player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
But it was just the beginning for the Uruguayan as he went on to dominate Europe with Barcelona and won the Champions League, La-Liga, and the Copa del Rey in his debut season with the club. Suarez even managed to outshine club talisman, Lionel Messi on several occasions.
Suarez already has 19 goals and nine assists from 27 appearances for Barcelona this season.
The heart of the matter
Gaston’s statements on Suarez could be a result of him not winning any individual honours apart from the Pichichi award. Despite scoring the most goals at club level across Europe, Suarez finished 4th in the race for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Also Read: Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo better than Rooney in last decade, says former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore
Suarez himself downplayed the snub stating that the Ballon d'Or is more to do with press and marketing rather than achievements on the pitch.
What’s next?
Barcelona are currently 3rd in the La Liga table and two points behind league leaders, Real Madrid. Suarez will be hoping to help his team win their second leg tie against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey at Camp Nou on Thursday.
Sportskeeda’s take
If one compares the three - Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez, statistically, the Uruguayan should have won the Ballon d’Or last season as he scored the most number of goals. But, the Ballon d’Or also takes into consideration the team titles won, which tilted it in favour of Ronaldo, which was probably well-deserved.