Lionel Messi commands the spotlight everywhere he goes and, if you don’t understand how or why, you probably haven’t followed this sport very closely. Few people in sporting history have been the subject of more attention. No matter what Messi does, the world watches.
Throughout his career, though, Messi has had plenty of sidekicks to help carry that spotlight, and none have been better than Luis Suarez. If Messi was the lead singer of the Barcelona band, Suarez was the drummer behind him, the man smashing the snares and hi-hats with brute force while also ensuring the group’s rhythm never fell apart.
Messi has built himself a familiar band in Miami. It features Sergio Busquets, the midfield tone-setter, and Jordi Alba, the dynamic fullback whose solo efforts create some of Messi’s best moments of magic. It’s Suarez, though, that has been the standout. Yes, even more so than Messi. Even in the twilight of his career, Suarez continues to set the tone, for better or worse.
Generally, Miami has seen the ‘better’ part of Suarez so far this season. The Uruguayan is leading from the front, picking up the slack during Messi’s recent absence. And, because of that, it’s Suarez, not Messi, who has emerged as Miami’s key player. The Uruguayan icon, therefore, may be the player most likely to determine this team’s success or failure by the time all is said and done.
Initial concerns
When Suarez arrived, there were major doubts, and it was easy to see why. The man himself said his knees were gone. By signing up to play in a league as rough on the body as MLS, the 37-year-old forward was taking a massive, massive risk.
You could understand why he would do it, though, as it was a chance to play with his friends as part of a fun project. Messi and Suarez have been close for years, and so laying alongside him while enjoying everything Miami has to offer? How could he say no?
That’s largely the off-field part of this, though. How Suarez fared on the field would dictate how he his Miami career was measured. He shown few signs of slowing down at previous club Gremio, scoring 29 goals in 54 games for the Brazilian outfit. But could he do it in MLS, where turf fields, short turnarounds and long flights were the norm?
In hindsight, it was crazy to doubt him. This was Suarez, after all.
Turning back the clock
Busquets was fighting the good fight back in January. Long before Suarez even stepped on the field for Inter Miami, his longtime Barca teammate was backing him to score boatloads of goals in MLS.
“We’re very excited,” Busquets said earlier this year. “He’s very excited. We know what to expect from him. He has scored goals his entire career. He just won the best player of the Brazilian League, which is very challenging and tough league. He scored many goals, many assists and hopefully he’s coming here to continue with that streak.”
Well, Busquets was right. Suarez has already scored many goals, provided a few assists and, most importantly, helped Inter Miami survive without Messi in the matches the Argentine missed.
In just eight MLS games, six of which were starts, Suarez has already scored six goals while providing three assists. That’s a goal contribution every 60 minutes or so. As a striker, you’ll absolutely take that. You can add two goals and two assists from Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup run, too, even if that ended prematurely.
Making it all the more impressive is that Suarez has shone in the moments Messi has been gone. He was brought in to be the finisher to Messi’s creator, but oftentimes, Suarez has had to do both. He scored three goals in the games Messi missed, helping keep Miami afloat during that stretch.
“We know it’s a long season, we have a lot of injuries, but we have a big team and we have a lot of really good players that can replace the others,” Suarez said of Messi’s absence. “Play continues, if the team stays together and keeps going forward that’s the focus.”
Miami, of course, are at their best when Messi is involved. Suarez, though, has been just as important this season.