Our Luis cannon

LUIS SUAREZ has courted controversy wherever he has gone.

The first time I became aware of him was in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash between his country, Uruguay, and Ghana.

Funnily enough, I had pulled out Ghana in the office sweep and the African team were doing me proud after first negotiating their tricky group stage before earning a place in the last eight of the tournament with a 2-1 win over the United States.

Then came that quarter-final match against the South Americans.

Biased? Of course I was. Like most "neutrals", I was rooting like mad for Ghana to reach the semi-finals - and not just because a couple of quid was riding on their progress!

Sadly for them - and for me - it wasn't to be. As most football followers who read this blog will recall, Uruguay made it through after a penalty shoot-out.

But not before Suarez had been in the spotlight - and not for the first time in his career - for all the wrong reasons.

He handballed a goal-bound effort that led to a spot-kick that could have won the game for Ghana and was shown an automatic red card.

Fortunately for Suarez and his Uruguay teammates, the penalty was missed. Suarez was picked up by the TV cameras celebrating the miss with a fist-pump as he walked down the tunnel towards the dressing rooms.

That endeared himself forever to the Uruguay nation while doubtless alienating millions of football followers around the world.

Uruguay went on to beat Ghana - ironically via penalties - and the African dream of having a nation in the last four in the World Cup finals was dashed, for another four years at least.

Months later, my club, Liverpool, went out and bought Suarez for somewhere in the region of £23m - and he immediately became a Kop icon.

His debut off the bench against Stoke City resulted in a pivotal goal in front of The Kop and he was off and running.

So much has happened between that moment and where we find ourselves now with the forward it would take too long to recount here.

There have been plenty of ups - the FA Cup leveller at Wembley against Everton in 2012 quickly springs to mind as I was there with Matthew to witness it - but as far as I am concerned, the downs outnumber them by a hefty margin.

And now, today, August 7, 2013, we find ourselves in this dreadful mire with the player.

Already banned for 10 matches for biting an opponent - again - Suarez is, via his agent, seemingly attempting to engineer an exit from the Reds.

He apparently had a "foot injury" which ruled him out tonight's tour match in Norway. A foot injury? C'mon, were all Liverpool fans born yesterday? What a load of utter bollocks.

The fact is, he wants to go. Liverpool publicly claim they don't want to sell him but privately can't wait for a club to come in with a big enough offer for them to say: "Ta very much. Adios Luis. And don't forget to shut the door on your way out."

While this saga has been going on for what seems like forever, I've been wondering all the time what the club's most important man in their entire history would have said.

I reckon it would have been something along the lines of this: "Arsenal, son? Ye say Arsenal? If you want to play for another team in red I'll drive the bloody car for you to London. I don't want you at this magnificent club. And these fans wouldn't want you either."

Yes, leave Anfield for God's sake, Suarez. Frankly, I really couldn't care less where you end up.

All I know is you're dragging our great club through the mud yet again.

And as a Liverpool supporter of more than four decades, I know club legends when I see them - and believe me, you ain't fit to lace their boots.