Otman Bakkal, Branislav Ivanovic, and Giorgio Chiellini have something in common. All three know what it feels like to be bitten by Luis Suárez. His biting behavior has long been the suspension of the Uruguayan top striker and criticism. But none of them are ‘victims’. “I admire his poison,” admits Chiellini.
After the summer of 2014, in the group stage of the World Cup in Brazil, Italy and Uruguay compete against each other. The South Americans win the game 0-1 after a goal from Diego Godin, and the Squadra tournament is already over. But in retrospect, Luis Suárez is mainly on the tongues.
During the match, the striker had placed his teeth on Chiellini’s shoulder. The hard-hitting Italian defender shouted murder and fire, but Suárez escaped red. At that time, there was no mention of the video referee. Later, the attacker was suspended for four months, so that FC Barcelona could not count on its acquisition for a while.
In his autobiography, which stirred up all the necessary material, Chiellini returns to the much-discussed incident. And the experienced rot is remarkably mild for Suárez. “Nothing special had happened that day,” Chiellini, who has played for Juventus since 2005 and counts more than a hundred caps for Italy, tells his story in the book.
“I had to cover Edinson Cavani, but suddenly I noticed that Suárez had bitten me in the shoulder.”
A harmful action, but Chiellini remarkably does not blame the Uruguayan. “It is his way of dealing with confrontations. And to be honest, it’s my way too. Luis and I are a bit the same in that respect. I admire his poison; if he didn’t, he would be a normal striker.”
Luis soon regretted his action. According to Chiellini, he received a call from the striker not long after the match. “But no apologies were necessary,” he says. “I am also a crook on the field, and I am proud of that. Malice is part of football, so I don’t call what he did inappropriately. You have to be smart, and I have always admired Luis Suárez for that.”
