Luis Suárez made little impression on Ibrahim Afellay on Thursday afternoon. The 35-year-old striker was unable to make his mark in Uruguay’s World Cup match with South Korea (0-0), and according to Afellay, this was mainly due to Suárez’s fitness. He tells that after the game at the NOSwhere he is supported by fellow analyst Pierre van Hooijdonk.
“You notice that he is walking on his last toes,” begins Afellay. “It does look a bit heavy and has of course also lost a lot in terms of explosiveness. It was as if he had a sack of potatoes on his back.” Van Hooijdonk agrees. “When you see him running like that, it’s like there’s fifteen kilos too much on it. I am convinced that he is much less fit than when he played at FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.”
Suárez left Atlético last summer, after which he signed with Nacional in Uruguay. With that club he became champion of the South American country at the end of October. According to Van Hooijdonk, the fact that Suárez now plays football in Uruguay does not mean that he can no longer do anything about it. “But in terms of fitness, you have to take good care of yourself, and then you have to be as fit as possible at the start. This detracts from the player Suárez as we know it,” said the former striker.
Suárez is currently on a free transfer after his contract with Nacional expired. With Uruguay, he is participating in his fourth World Cup, having already been there in 2010, 2014 and 2018. After the draw against South Korea, two more group matches are waiting la Celeste: next Monday against Portugal and next Friday against Ghana.
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