Uruguay
will be without the finest player on the planet if Luis Suarez fails to
recover from injury in time to play England on June 19.
That
is the verdict of Uruguay midfielder Cristian Rodriguez, who said: ‘He
is the best player in the world. And I’m not saying that because I’m
Uruguayan and so is he.’
Liverpool’s
31-goal star looks like making it back just in time to face Gary Cahill
and Phil Jagielka and Rodriguez drives home the importance of his
recovery when he says: ‘As far as I’m concerned Leo Messi and Cristiano
Ronaldo are a notch or so below Suarez. He has demonstrated it for club
and country. Messi and Ronaldo are not as good for their countries as
for their clubs.’
Model: Uruguay midfielder Cristian Rodriquez shows off the new home kit for the World Cup
Suarez
looks set to miss Uruguay’s first game of the Finals against Costa Rica
in the hope that the extra days will see him start against England
alongside Atletico Madrid’s Rodriguez.
‘Everyone
loves “Luisito” in the squad,’ he says. ‘He is a rebel on the pitch who
fights for every ball but that is what we love about him in Uruguay. We
hate to lose at anything, we want to win — so his will to win makes him
a good Uruguayan.’
For
all the fight on the pitch Rodriguez paints a very different picture of
his team-mate off it. ‘All the Atletico Madrid players were in the
dressing room watching on television on the day of the draw and the text
messages started flying.
'There
is a group of us who send messages to one another and Luis is among
that group, although he is one of the quieter ones who does not write
that much; he tends not to get too excited about these things.’
Race against time: Luis Suarez is hoping to be fit in time for the England clash after his knee op
Group photo: Rodriguez (front right) lines up
alongside Suarez (back 2nd right) ahead of the match against Argentina
in Montevideo last October
Star attraction: Rodriguez says Suarez is better than Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo (right)
Rodriguez
defends Suarez against the accusation that his quest to always finish
on the winning side means he crosses the line sometimes.
‘He
lives for football and in football if you are not alive then you are
asleep and they take the ball off you — “adios”. You have to be smart on
the pitch. It’s part of the game. You’ve got the referee there; he’s
there for something isn’t he?’
Rodriguez
agrees Uruguay and England are in the group of death but not just
because of the presence of three world champions. ‘No one should
underestimate Costa Rica because in a World Cup anything can happen,’ he
says of his country’s first opponents.
On form: Suarez scored 31 goals for Liverpool in the Premier League last season
Eye on the ball: Atletico's Rodriguez trained ahead of the Champions League final but did not play
‘People
say Costa Rica will be the easiest rivals but the temperatures will be
high and they will be used to the climate and that could make them
stronger.’
Does he believe a European team can win this summer’s tournament?
‘It’s
not impossible for a European side to win in South America but it is a
different climate and the pitches are very different — the surfaces are
drier and that slows the game down; and it’s very humid. That is what
will test the European teams. In Spain the pitches are kept wet and the
ball runs faster so it is going to be very different for them.
‘There
is also the added factor of travelling for European sides. Brazil is a
massive country so we have to travel, too; but our starting point is a
lot closer!’
All in: The Costa Rica team pose for a photo with president Luis Guillermo Solis (top row, 7th right) on Friday
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