Scores on his debut, February 2011

Hard as it is to believe now, Luis Suárez’s principal job upon arriving at Liverpool in January 2011 was to be the new Fernando Torres. The Spanish striker had joined Chelsea for £50m during the same transfer window, leaving Anfield regulars feeling dejected and rejected in equal measure and they needed the new Uruguayan acquisition from Ajax to give them a quick lift. Suárez, therefore, need to hit the ground running and that is exactly what he did by scoring 16 minutes after coming on as a substitute to make his Liverpool debut against Stoke at Anfield. The goal, which sealed a 2-0 win, was not a thing of beauty – a daisy-cutter in front of the Kop, which trickled into the net via Andy Wilkinson’s right boot – but it got the new man off to the perfect start.

Tears Manchester United apart, March 2011

The day should have belonged to Dirk Kuyt – after all, he had just become the first man since Peter Beardsley in 1990 to score a hat-trick against Manchester United – but all the talk after Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on a crisp, spring afternoon was of the man in the No7 shirt. In only his fourth appearance for his new club, Suárez was sensational, setting up Kuyt’s first two goals, with his approach play for the opener defying belief. Collecting possession in the left channel of United’s area, Suárez knocked the ball through Rafael da Silva’s legs before skipping past tackles from Michael Carrick and Wes Brown in a blink of an eye, and rolling the ball across the goalline, where Kuyt was waiting to pounce. It was jaw-dropping stuff and the sense inside Anfield that Liverpool had a new superstar on their hands was tangible

Is banned for racial abuse, December 2011

Suárez’s next encounter with United would provide the backdrop for his most notorious moment at Liverpool. At the time, his heated exchange with Patrice Evra during a 1-1 draw at Anfield in October 2011 looked to be nothing more than raised tensions between rival competitors but, ultimately, it would lead to Suárez being found guilty of racial abuse by the Football Association and hit with an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine. Liverpool’s reaction to the sanction was regrettable, with players donning T-shirts in support of their team-mate prior to their first match after the FA’s verdict, while Suárez only damaged his reputation further by refusing to shake Evra’s hand when the sides met again at Old Trafford in February 2012.

Dives in front of David Moyes, October 2012

How do you react when the manager of the team you are about to face accuses you of being a diver? By diving, of course. That is what Suárez decided to do anyway after hearing David Moyes’s criticism of his behaviour prior to the first Merseyside derby of the 2012-13 season, with the Uruguayan launching himself – arms crossed, belly first – at the feet of the then Everton manager after playing a key role in Liverpool’s opening goal of the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park. It was a moment that showed the player maintained a devilish sense of humour and brought smiles to the faces of the Liverpool supporters already celebrating at the far side of the ground. If they did not love him already, they surely did now.

Scores a stunning goal against Newcastle, November 2012

Even now, a little more than 20 months later, it is difficult to fully comprehend what Suárez did on that cold afternoon against Alan Pardew’s side. You can watch endless replays but it still seems unfathomable that a player, side on and with a defender leaning against his back, could bring a long, firmly hit pass to a perfect standstill on the space between shoulder and chest and then adjust his body, so, in one smooth movement, he is able to take the ball past the goalkeeper and roll it into the net with the same boot. But that is exactly what Suárez did to leave those watching at home and inside Anfield speechless. Martin Tyler, who was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, did, however, find the perfect words to describe this most perfect of moments: “That is the touch of a genius.”

Bites Branislav Ivanovic, April 2013

Chelsea’s league trip to Anfield was heading for a victory for the visitors and, subsequently, frustrations were rising inside the home ranks, yet there was only one man in red who felt compelled to sink his teeth into an opponent. The look of shock and outrage on Ivanovic’s face said it all, and the fact Suárez held the Serb’s arm in place and paused before biting it only added to the horror of the moment. The striker, who three months earlier had also scored a controversial goal against Mansfield in the FA Cup, immediately received a 10-match ban from the FA for what was remarkably the second occasion in his career that he had bit an opponent. It would not be the last.

Tries to join Arsenal, August 2013

Banned for biting and, for the second time in his Liverpool career, in possession of the club’s full backing, Suárez did what any player in his position would have done: accuse his manager of being a liar and demand to leave. The Uruguayan really did take ingratitude to a new level last summer in his attempts to join Arsenal after the London club had submitted that now infamous £40,000,001 bid for the player. In an interview with the Guardian, Suárez claimed Liverpool had promised he could leave if the club failed to qualify for the Champions League and that Brendan Rodgers was wrong in saying the player had accepted Liverpool would not sell him. A transfer request was also threatened but the club, and in particular principal owner John W Henry, stood firm and Suárez was told he was going nowhere, except to train with the reserves.

Shines alongside Daniel Sturridge, September 2013

In his first league appearance after the biting ban, Suárez gave Liverpool fans a clear glimpse of the wonderful, goal-rich months that lay ahead. Sunderland were the unlucky victims as Suárez and Daniel Sturridge linked up to devastating effect in a 3-1 victory at the Stadium of Light, with the England forward setting up both of Suárez’s goals after he had scored himself early on. There would be more of the same to come as the Premier League’s most ruthless, in-tune strike partnership took Liverpool agonisingly close to a first league title in 24 years.

Puts Norwich to the sword (again), December 2013

Anfield has witnessed many memorable performances by strikers in red but arguably nothing by Hunt, Keegan, Dalglish, Rush, Fowler, Torres and the rest comes close to matching the masterclass Suárez put on against Norwich seven months ago. The Canaries had become accustomed to being tortured by Liverpool’s latest No7 but this took the pain to another level; four goals and one assist in a 5-1 rout, with Suárez’s first and third strikes instant additions to his greatest hits collections – a 40-yard dipping drive hit so hard that it bounced inside the net followed by a slaloming run that resulted in the Uruguayan making a mug out of Leroy Fer and most of the Norwich defence before drilling a half-volley into the same corner of the net. “Sheer brilliance” was how Rodgers described the display afterwards.

Signs new contact, December 2013

Christmas was five days away but Liverpool fans already had what they wanted when it was announced Suárez had signed a four-and-a-half-year contract extension. It was all sweetness and light, with the striker speaking of how he “loved the city and the supporters”, yet it did not take the most cynical of minds to recognise that a stipulation must have been put in place to allow Suárez to move on if he decided to do so in the near future. That stipulation turned out to be a release clause, believed to be about £75m, and which was central to the negotiations that took place between Liverpool and Barcelona.

Cries at Crystal Palace, May 2014

Monday 5 May 2014 and Liverpool’s title dreams lay in tatters on a frenzied night in south London. A side who seemed destined to be crowned champions only two weeks earlier now recognise they will be runners-up at best following a startling capitulation to Crystal Palace. A 3-0 lead ends in a 3-3 draw and as away fans cry in the stands, away players look devastated on the pitch, no one more so than Suárez, who, sat on his haunches, pulls his shirt over his face and is reduced to tears. Opposition supporters can mock but here was proof if anybody needed it of the player’s deep-seated, desperate desire to win, which for all his skill, ingenuity and prowess is arguably Suárez’s greatest trait.

Is named double footballer of the year, May 2014

He may have missed out on English football’s greatest team honour but Suárez swept the board when it came to individual prizes last season, being named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year before receiving the same acclaim from the Football Writers’ Association, with 52% of the vote. It was no shock to see Suárez take either award after a campaign in which he finished as the Premier League’s top scorer with 31 goals and consistently mesmerised his audiences with his talent and endeavour. The FWA award was also proof that for all his and Uruguay’s claims, the English media were never “out to get” Suárez.