Luis Suarez reveals he almost joined Real Madrid following Liverpool exit

Luis Suarez has revealed that he almost joined Real Madrid instead of Barcelona following his Liverpool exit, but his infamous bite on Giorgio Chiellini changed the direction of his career. 

The Uruguayan arrived on Merseyside in January 2011 and quickly established himself as a firm fan favourite following some dazzling performances.

The relentless and gifted forward swiftly found his shooting boots at Anfield and almost fired Liverpool to the Premier League title during the 2013/14 season under Brendan Rodgers.

The Reds were surprise candidates to win the league and eventually fell short to Manchester City, but Luis Suarez still produced a then record 31 goals in 33 Premier League matches.

Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of interest in the now Inter Miami attacker, who ended up making a lucrative switch to Catalan giants Barcelona.

However, speaking with DelSol, Suarez revealed that he almost joined Barcelona's Clasico rivals Real Madrid, the 14-time European champions interested in him replacing the Arsenal-linked Karim Benzema at the time.

"Before the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid wanted me as they wanted to sell Benzema to Arsenal. Barcelona at the time was [also] interested and Luis Enrique was pressing," said Suarez.

During the 2014 World Cup, Suarez received a four-month ban from football after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini, which saw Real remove themselves from the race for his signature.

"The bite case happened and Barcelona continued to want to sign me despite the punishment. I will always be grateful for that," add the 37-year-old.

Of course, that was not the first time Suarez had been found guilty of biting an opponent, the striker punished during his time with Ajax and Liverpool for the same offence.

But, despite the controversy that surrounded Suarez, he went on to have a glistening career with Barcelona, forming one part of the fabled 'MSN' trio that also contained Lionel Messi and Neymar.

The Uruguay international provided 195 goals and 113 assists in just 283 appearances for La Blaugrana, winning the Champions League and four Spanish titles during his time at Camp Nou.