LUIS SUAREZ HAS paid tribute to Steven Gerrard after the former Liverpool captain announced his retirement from football.
The pair played together to great success at Liverpool, narrowly missing out on the Premier League title in 2013-14, with Suarez ending that season as PFA Player of the Year after scoring 31 goals.
However, Suarez endured plenty of controversy during his time at Anfield, after being banned for racially abusing Patrice Evra and later for biting Branislav Ivanovic.
Suarez subsequently moved to Barcelona, after further biting controversy at World Cup 2014, but has thanked his former team-mate for all the help and advice he has given him throughout his career.
“To a captain. To a team mate. To a friend,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I got to Liverpool, a historic club, coming from another historic club. And amongst my team mates, Steven Gerrard. A model at the club, in the Premier League and outside the Championship as well. He shrunk the field on defence, was a great shooter and a great goalscorer and was a very skilled passer. A unique player indeed.
“As weeks went by Steven showed himself as a true leader. He was a natural winner and an ambitious player on the field and a good and consistent team mate off the field. He was always of great support and taught me lots of valuable things while pulling the best from me.
“Thank you very much Steven. For being by my side during my career’s tougher times. For supporting me no matter what and gifting me advice so many times. Our relationship goes beyond the football field. You were always with me even when some others were not. So many chats, so many times you helped me reconsider situations, and always in order to reach me…Like an older brother teaches his youngest one.
“We went through so much together and fought for big things to come for our club. This will be imprinted forever in my memories.”
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