That much has been confirmed in the last few weeks; first when Barcelona got knocked out the Champions League by Bayern Munich and second when Barcelona knocked him out of their squad.
Gone
While Luis Suarez scored against Munich, his all-round game has been so impacted by his two knee surgeries that he has been left a shadow of his former self. Barca know that, which is why they’re ready to [write off his contract.][1]
Much of what made us love the Uruguayan has been stripped of him. Prime Suarez would chase every lost cause like a golden retriever after a tennis ball, while prime Suarez would also fight until his last breath to make sure the result went his way.
It’s what made him so elite, and it’s what made him fit in at an elite level.
Stripped
But with only one knee, there’s only so much fighting spirit can do for you. His mind is willing, but his body just simply can’t do the things it used to be able to.
Suarez has been reduced to a static husk of his former self. Those darting runs, the intelligent of movement, the predatory instinct within the box are still up top. They’re still in his head.
If only we could find some way of putting them back in his feet.
Decline
Despite scoring against Munich, that goal and that run of Champions League games exposed the man for what he has become: slow, static.
It seems crazy to think that Suarez could succumb to the ravages of time, but when so much of your game is built on being able to react and plan and plot and run, age is going to become a bastard far sooner than for other players.
There will still be big teams ready to blow big money on the forward, because that’s what they do. But in a proper world, this 33-year-old former superstar should be looking at teams lower down the ladder and adjusting his aim.
It’s sad but it’s true. Luis Suarez is no longer elite.[1]: https://www.givemesport.com/1594137-luis-suarez-barcelona-to-terminate-strikers-contract-after-ronald-koeman-decision