Even as manager Diego Simeone and the rest of his teammates started celebrating after the final whistle was blown, Luis Suarez cut an emotional figure after they pipped their Madrid rivals to win the La Liga crown on Saturday. Suarez hit the winner as Atletico defeated Valladolid on the final league day to pip their cross-town rivals Real Madrid by 2 points.
Luis Suarez netted as many as 21 league goals as the Uruguayan made an instant impact after joining Atletico as a free agent at the start of the season. In a dramatic turn of events, Suarez was let go by Barcelona against his wishes — a move that was widely criticised by quite a few, including Lionel Messi who openly lashed out at the Catalan side.
Moments after Atletico won their first La Liga title since 2014, Suarez was seen crying profusely while sitting in front of his mobile phone on a video call. It was the fifth La Liga title for Suarez and was certainly the most special as he redeemed himself and proved the doubters wrong.
“This has been a hard season for the situation I had to go through, starting the season the way it did, being disrespected (by Barcelona) and having Atlético open its doors to me,” Suárez said.
“I will always be thankful to this great club for that.”
Tears of joy for @LuisSuarez9!
His 21 goals helped earn the #LaLigaSantander title for @atletienglish… pic.twitter.com/X2WVDvlQqz
LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) May 22, 2021
“Many people have suffered with me, my wife, my children, every day. I have been in football for so many years and I think this is the year they have endured the most,” he added.
“It (this title win) is special, because of everything that some of us had to endure. Here are my statistics: five league titles in seven seasons. And here is Luis Suarez,” he said.
One of the best years for Atletico to be champion: Simeone
Atlético’s 11th league title ended a seven-year dominance by Barcelona and Madrid in Spain. Since 2014, Barcelona had won the league four times and Madrid twice, including last season.
“It has been such a difficult year, with so many people dying,” said Simeone, who won a record eighth title with the club since arriving as coach in 2011.
“For Atlético to win the title this season, it’s different. It was a difficult year, just like our own history. This was one of the best years for Atlético to be the champion.”
