There are two sides to Luis Suarez. The footballer who plays with such intensity and the calm, relaxed speaker who tries to find comfort in the smallest things. The first side of him finished off a counterattack in the 89th minute to make it 5-1 against Sevilla. The second spoke to us a few hours after that epic comeback.
After such a frenetic comeback, can it be difficult to get to sleep?
Yeah, well, it depends. There are times when it's easier to sleep and others time less so. The adrenaline is there and you can toss and turn but this time I slept quite easily.
Are you someone who re-watches the game, his goals - do you have a routine?
It depends on the match I've had! Because there are times when you don't want to watch any of it back. Yesterday, for example, only my wife was awake and we spoke a little bit about the match. We do that sometimes. When I wake up I watch some TV, usually the news, and I focus on that and not about sport. I'm always thinking about getting up early so I can take the kids to school!
Is it difficult being Luis Suárez?
No. You try to be as normal as possible, being just another human in the world. I'm a father, a husband and I play football for a living. But I try to show people that I don't live in a different world. A lot of people think we don't have any idea of what's happening because we live in our own world. But I'm just a father who loves to spend time with his wife and children.
I heard you once say there are two versions of Luis Suarez: the footballer, who always appears angry, and the normal version: do those two versions of you still exist or have you changed?
[Laughing]. I'm still the same, ambitious footballer. I still play with that desire that I've been born with. That desire to win and the way I play is never going to change. But I've learnt a lot, more since I've lived in Barcelona. I'm trying to enjoy football a little bit more.
Did you play too angrily?
Playing with intensity and aggression doesn't mean you are going around hitting and kicking people all the time. But those battles and arguments are who I am. Now I laugh and enjoy more with my teammates. That's changed, but the way I play won't ever be different. When I say that I'm different off the pitch it's because, if I'm angry off it, it has to be for a very big reason. On the pitch I get angry for the smallest things!
Puyol always said that after getting to know Pique it changed his perspetive on football and that he needed to enjoy life more. What influence has Leo had on you?
I think it's helped me to see how relaxed he is in matches. Sometimes I thought that you need to be focused the day before, or a few hours before the match. That's what happened with me at Liverpool, with the national team and all of my previous clubs. And I think to see the atmosphere here, to see everyone focused, knowing what they have to do, but in a more relaxed environment has helped me.
What about Neymar; more than in a footballing sense, what is the thing you miss most about him?
Obviously he was a player that, inside the dressing room, transmitted so much happiness. He was a teammate who always had a smile on his face. Like Brazilians in general. Of course i miss that but we made the change at that moment, that he wasn't going to be here, and we needed to fill that gap which he left.
Could you imagine him returning one day?
In football, I always say that you never know what could happen. Right now he's enjoying life in Paris a lot. His objectives are clear. But obviously, as a teammate, friend or a fan of football you want the best at your side. But this is hypothetical and you never know.
But it's something which excites you…
Of coruse but he's a player that makes a difference. But you also need to remember that it was a complicated decision he made when he decided to leave. Just as it would be if he decided to return.
Source: Sport / Dídac Peyret