Liverpool’s victory over Real Madrid in midweek was their first over the Spanish side in eight games, stretching back to the stunning 4-0 thrashing of Los Blancos in 2009.
Despite their strong start to the campaign, many had claimed the Anfield side had yet to defeat a genuine world-class team. The 2-0 victory in midweek will surely put that argument to rest.
Ending this winless run against the 15-time European champions will also give them a psychological boost, especially if the two sides meet in the latter stages of the Champions League this season.
The barren spell started way back in 2014 when Brendan Rodgers was in charge. Having finished second in the 2013/14 Premier League table, the Reds qualified for the group stages, drawn in the same group against Madrid.
A 3-0 loss at Anfield was followed by a 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu as Rodgers’ side struggled in the competition.
Despite coming so close to the league title just months before, Rodgers failed to truly improve his squad during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool’s business in the 2014 summer transfer window
Rodgers had money to spend ahead of the 2014/15 campaign and with the prospect of playing against Europe’s elite, the supporters looked forward to an exciting summer.
Southampton were targeted, as Adam Lallana, Ricki Lambert and Dejan Lovren made the move to Merseyside. Lazar Markovic was one of the more exciting signings, as the Reds splashed out £20m on exciting Benfica winger Lazar Markovic, while Mario Balotelli returned to the Premier League.
A couple of interesting signings for sure, but they weren’t quite of the required quality to fire the club to glory during the 2014/15 season.
While money was available due to Champions League qualification, Rodgers secured a financial windfall for one of his key players – Luis Suárez.
Liverpool's sale of Luiz Suarez
The 2013/14 season was a remarkable one for the Uruguayan as he scored a staggering 31 goals in the Premier League while registering 13 assists. This was made even more special considering the striker missed the first five matches of the season due to suspension which had carried over from the previous campaign.
These performances under Rodgers were bound to attract attention from elsewhere and when the summer transfer window opened, it was clear Suarez would be leaving Anfield.
Indeed, when Barcelona came in with an offer of £75m, Suarez left for La Liga, linking up with fellow South Americans Neymar and Lionel Messi.
He is still remembered fondly among the Anfield faithful and if he remained at the club, just how many goals would he have scored?
Luis Suárez’s Liverpool statistics
The centre-forward signed for the club in January 2011 with Kenny Dalglish spending around £22.7m to lure him from Ajax.
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He signed alongside Andy Carroll and he went slightly under the radar due to the Reds spending £35m on the Englishman. This new strike partnership looked like it could fire Liverpool to glory in the future, especially given both players were under the age of 24 at the time.
Only one left their mark at Anfield, however, as Saurez became one of the best strikers in the world.
He netted 17 times during the 2011/12 campaign as the Reds won the League Cup while reaching the FA Cup final, before adding another 30 goals the following season – although this was marred towards the end when he was given a suspension due to biting Branislav Ivanovic in a tie against Chelsea.
Despite this, 2013/14 was incredible for the player. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher lavished praise on the Uruguayan for his exploits at the club, saying:
“He is simply one of the greatest players who ever played for the club. When you talk about all-time greats, he is in the top five. The goals he scored and the way he played, it was mind-blowing.”
Club
Games
Goals
Assists
Barcelona
283
195
113
Ajax
159
111
68
Liverpool
133
82
34
Atlético Madrid
83
34
6
Gremio
53
26
17
Inter Miami
37
25
10
FC Groningen
37
15
12
Nacional
20
8
3
Despite leaving Liverpool more than a decade ago, the 37-year-old is still going strong.
What Luis Saurez has done since leaving Liverpool
The former Ajax gem spent six seasons at Barcelona, finally getting his hands on the Champions League trophy while scoring 195 goals for the La Liga side.
A spell at Atlético Madrid saw Suarez secure yet another league title, before he had spells at Club Nacional in his homeland and Gremio in Brazil.
It was his move to MLS side Inter Miami in December 2023 which has seen him enjoy an Indian summer to his impressive career. Linking up with former Barcelona teammate Messi in Florida, the duo aimed to fire the club to glory.
Across 30 MLS and MLS Cup Playoff games during the 2024 season, Suarez scored 21 goals along with grabbing nine assists as Miami ended the regular campaign with a points total of 74, the highest in the history of the league.
They were surprisingly defeated by Atlanta United in the first round of the playoffs, but for his performances, the striker was rewarded with a new one-year contract extension.
“I’m very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to enjoy being here with this fanbase, which for us is like family,” Suarez said.
His exploits for Miami have even seen the player nominated as one of the best attackers at the Best FIFA Football Awards 2024, ranking him alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland to name just a couple of stars.
He might not win the title, but just being named alongside some of these players is a testament to Suarez’s amazing longevity and the fact he is still scoring regularly for his club side.
Forever a Liverpool icon, the Uruguayan will be aiming to finish his career on a high next term by leading Miami to MLS glory, that’s for sure.
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