Because of the incredible deals involving Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres, Liverpool’s purchase of Luis Suarez on 31 January 2011 went under the radar to an extent.The Reds handed the Uruguayan forward a five-and-a-half year contract after paying Ajax £22.7 million.Kenny Dalglish was in charge of Liverpool at the time and decided to give Suarez the shirt number (7) that he himself had made famous decades earlier."It's a dream to be able to come and play here,” Suarez told Liverpool’s official website, per BBC Sport, at the time. "Liverpool is a very famous club, the most famous club in England, and I watched Liverpool and English football as a boy."My aim is to work, to show the fans how hard I am ready to work. I want to put in lots of effort, to show people my capabilities."My ambitions for the future are to do my very best for Liverpool, to try to learn more about English football and to become a champion."
Could Suarez cut it in England?
Although Suarez boasted an impressive goals-to-games ratio in the Eredivisie (81 goals in 110 matches) he still needed to prove that he could cut it in the Premier League.
So many highly-rated players have struggled in England’s top division after shining in the Netherlands over the years.
Of course he could
Suarez, however, ended up doing better than even the most optimistic Liverpool fan could have imagined.
The South American forward was remarkably good at Anfield - particularly during the final two seasons with the Merseyside outfit - even though his three-and-a-half years in England were tarnished by various unsavoury on-field incidents.
He became a legend at Barcelona
Liverpool fans were understandably devastated when he joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014, but they were grateful for the immense joy he’d given them and subsequently wished him well for the future.
Suarez went on to establish his status as one of the best players of his generation at the Camp Nou, linking up with Lionel Messi and Neymar to create one of the most formidable attacking tridents in history.
Liverpool's fan's Twitter thread on Suarez is incredible
But first and foremost, Liverpool fans will always remember what Suarez achieved with them.
One Liverpool supporter on Twitter - @Sennesation - created a superb thread at the start of the year reminiscing over some of Suarez’s best, funniest and most outrageous moments.
He’s been updating it sporadically ever since and it’s full of gold.
Check it out…
1. ‘Thread of Luis Suarez' highlights throughout his Liverpool career.’
2. ‘Faking an injury only to get back up after Joe Allen wins us the ball back. Unreal shithousery.’
3. ‘Trying to trip someone up with his head only to win back the ball. Mental.’
4. ‘The infamous diving celebration against Everton in front of David Moyes after his criticism.’
5. ‘His 'rugby tackle' against John Heitinga during the derby.’
6. ‘Pushing Ferdinand into Evra during the first minutes against United.’
7. ’Ending Sascha Riether's football career with this flick.’
8. ‘Ending Stephen Kelly's career with this outrageous skill.’
9. ‘Taking this ball from Enrique on his chest before casually rounding Krul. Arguably his best goal in a Reds shirt.’
10. ‘Casual nutmeg before putting the ball beautifully into the net against Stoke.’
11. ‘Triple annihilation of Norwich City. Did it all on his own as well. Try not to feel sorry for John Ruddy and fail.’
12. ‘That time he thanked Carroll, Caroline and the chicken staff in his speech at the end of the season.’
13. ‘Incredible free-kick curling past the wall and Tim Howard during the derby.’
14. ‘Him scoring the winner against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup after controlling the ball with his hand. Unreal shithousery.’
15. ‘His outrageous volley against Arsenal. Would've possibly been the best goal in the Premier League ever.
16. ‘His lovely chip against Spurs. Complete humiliation.’
17. ‘That time he punished Distin and scored against the Ev at Wembley to help us reach the final.’
18. ‘Misses a big chance. Norwich fans laugh at him. Wins the ball back. Casual nutmeg. Goal. Instant karma.’
19. ‘Taking on the entire United defence before Dirk Kuyt taps it in. Ludicrous skills.’
Liverpool fans can’t control their emotions after reading through this thread and who can blame them?