Luis Suarez is undoubtedly one of the modern-day pioneers of the dark arts in the beautiful game as we know it.
Be it his numerous counts of biting opposition players, the infamous handball in the 2010 World Cup against Ghana or the multiple allegations of simulation against his name over the years, Suarez has never been shy to show his panache for the dark arts.
The Atletico Madrid forward brings a brand of steely determination and will to do anything to win to his teams and has done his reputation justice with another display in the 2021 Copa America.
When Uruguay played out a 1-1 draw with Chile in the Copa America group stages, Suarez displayed his inclination towards trolling once again with an incident that involved former teammate Claudio Bravo – an incident which went viral on social media after the match.
An Arturo Vidal own goal had cancelled out Eduardo Vargas’ opener for Chile, and the match was tied 1-1 in the closing minutes as Claudio Bravo looked to get the ball up the pitch for a goal kick.
But obstructing his path was a seemingly innocent Suarez, who was adjusting his shoe after taking a tumble. Suarez took his shoe off of himself and was trying to put it back on, but instead of letting the goalkeeper go on with the match – he simply put himself in front of Bravo.
Football fans noticed the intention behind Suarez’s actions on Twitter after the game, as he looked determined not to let Chile get the ball upfield and look for a late winner in the match.
Even the Chilean goalkeeper Bravo was visibly amused as he was no stranger to Suarez’s antics, having shared a dressing room with Suarez for two seasons at Barcelona.
Suarez justifies his reputation as one of the most polarizing footballers in history – love him or hate him, one cannot ignore his extraordinary talent, and his desire to win football matches no matter what it costs.
