Suarez: Nobody has gifted me anything

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez said he is relishing playing for his dream club and that “no-one gifted” him anything in making it to Spain. 

Suarez was signed by Barca in July 2014, with the La Liga outfit spending over €80million to lure the Uruguay international from Premier League club Liverpool. 

The 28-year-old has settled into life well in Spain, scoring 44 goals in 65 appearances, and is second in the 2015-16 La Liga scoring charts behind Barca team-mate Neymar. 

Ahead of their Club World Cup semi-final against Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao on Thursday, Suarez said he is determined to get his hands on more silverware.

“Winning the Champions League was a dream and we have to try and do one better now,” Suarez told El Observador.

“I want to keep winning and claiming important things. 

“I believe people see the effort I make every game. No-one gifted me anything, and I always try to give my maximum. 

“The supporters know it was my dream to play for Barca, and I want to give everything I can for this shirt.”

Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer also spoke about his relationship with fellow South American Lionel Messi, the Argentina captain.

“It’s a privilege to play alongside the best player in the world,” he said. “Everything he does is admirable. 

“A Uruguayan and an Argentine have very similar ways of living day-to-day. So we drink mate together, we know the same culture, we have the same age and we talk about things from when we were younger.

“To distract ourselves away from the pitch is always nice.”