Legendary striker Luis Suarez has revealed he was close to joining Real Madrid before they lost interest in him after he bit a player at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Heading into the global showpiece in Brazil 10 years ago, the dynamic forward was in the form of his life as he helped Liverpool mount a serious title challenge, managing to score 31 goals and bag 17 assists in 33 Premier League appearances in the 2013/14 campaign.
Playing in what was perhaps an average Reds team, a move to a better European side seemed inevitable.
However, he first had to represent his nation at the World Cup. While he had a good start to the tournament, bagging a brace against England in his first game, Suarez would be banned from football for the next four months after he bit Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's next match.
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In an interview with La Mesa, as per Marca, he revealed that this ban deterred Los Blancos from triggering his release clause in his Reds deal.
"Before the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid wanted to sign me and everything was going in the right direction. They were thinking about selling Benzema to Arsenal, everything was already done," the Inter Miami attacker explained.
"When the World Cup started, Barca got into the race, and obviously I preferred Barca. With the situation of the bite, Madrid lost interest, and Barca became more interested.
"In the end, I had both options and I chose the Barca because it was my dream."
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Suarez would go on to complete a move to the Camp Nou, where he enjoyed an illustrious career, scoring 195 goals while winning four LALIGA championships as well as a UEFA Champions League title in his time with the Blaugrana.
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