Luis Suarez was named the PFA Player of the Year on Sunday night after scoring an astonishing 30 Premier League goals which have helped catapult Liverpool into this season's Premier League title race.
The award shows a remarkable turnaround for the striker after the Liverpool No 7 was banned for racially abusing Patrice Evra in 2011 and caused more controversy at the end of last season when he was banned for 10 games after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
However having missed the first month of this year's campaign, Suarez returned to the Liverpool side at the end of September and formed an incredible partnership with Daniel Sturridge as the pair scored the goals which have helped fire Liverpool towards the top of the table.
The Liverpool frontman said: 'The Premier League is full of really great players and so it is a great honour when these players recognise your work on the pitch.
'I always try my best for the team and it is nice to get awards but really this is for my team-mates and the staff at Liverpool because without their help I wouldn't have this prize.'
Chelsea wideman Eden Hazard, who scooped the Young Player of the Year award, came second for the main accolade while Manchester City talisman Yaya Toure came third.
Suarez, who becomes the first Liverpool player to win the award since Steven Gerrard picked up the accolade back in 2006, was the overwhelming favourite for the top award after enjoying arguably the best season of his career.
What has made his feat more remarkable is the fact he was suspended for five matches at the start of the season as his ban for biting Ivanovic carried over into this campaign.
The South American has put behind him a troublesome year which saw him agitating for a move in the summer, even at one stage claiming manager Brendan Rodgers had reneged on a deal to allow him to leave for a Champions League club.
Rodgers' handling of the situation has been impressive but the Reds boss insisted all of the credit should be with the player.
'He is a brilliant talent. I think the supporters have seen him mature over the course of the last season,' Rodgers said of Suarez on Friday.
'I think he was in a real low moment after that game (against Chelsea last year) but he has gone away and probably looked in the mirror and reflected on himself because he is not that type of guy and it probably just spilled over.
'He is a really intelligent man who fits the values of this club, which is all about humility, class and he has all of that.
'He is a sheer winner and that probably overspilled last year but his development over the last year has been remarkable both on and off the field and Liverpool have benefited from that.
'For me he is the consistently outstanding player over the course of the last year.'
0 comments:
Post a Comment