The 30 greatest moments of the World Cup: Luis Suarez bites Italy defender Georgio Chiellini
OUR look at the World Cup’s greatest moment’s continues with a pure brain explosion from Uruguay’s controversial striker Luis Suarez and his inexplicable mid-match snack.
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OUR latest instalment in the greatest moments in World Cup history brings us to a hungry Uruguayan striker — who couldn’t wait for a bite to eat.
Luis Suarez was already a controversial figure leading into the World Cup, and eyeballs across the globe were fixed on him waiting for another slip-up.
He delivered in extraordinary fashion.
Welcome to the third instalment of our 30-day countdown of the greatest World Cup moments.
What was the ‘moment’: Luis Suarez’s hunger
Which World Cup was it? Brazil 2014
Country played for: Uruguay
Ahead of Brazil ‘14, Luis Suarez was one of the biggest names in football, for good and bad reasons.
His form with club side Liverpool had been outrageous. After returning from a suspension for the second biting incident of his career — yes, second — the Uruguayan was simply unplayable, scoring 31 goals in 33 games.
He was controversial, yes — but also a striker of devastating ability. This would be his World Cup.
It all went wrong in Uruguay’s first game, after Suarez pretty much punched a header off the line. After his promises to reform, the bad boy of world football was back. And always with a reaction that said “how dare you accuse me?”
Then, in the final group game against Italy, it happened again.
It wasn’t a good game, stifled by the heat and with Uruguay toiling against an Italian side they had to beat to progress. Suarez just couldn’t find the break he wanted and he was getting frustrated.
With 10 minutes left, Suarez tangled with Italy defender Georgio Chiellini and the two fell on the floor, both milking it for all it was worth. No one had seen it but Chiellini was furious, running over to the referee pulling his shirt collar down, while Suarez, ever the drama queen, rolled around on the floor holding his front teeth in supposed agony.
The bite marks on Chiellini were clear and the replay shows Suarez lunging and biting Chiellini’s shoulder — but Suarez was carrying as though the Italian had somehow carried out some kind of medieval dentistry on him.
The referee took no action and Uruguay eventually won 1-0 — but Suarez couldn’t escape punishment.
FIFA kicked him out of the World Cup, banning the striker for nine international matches and from taking part in any football-related activity — even entering a stadium — for four months.
Suarez is one of the most thrilling forwards the game has seen in recent years — but he will always come with an asterisk:* biter.
RE-LIVE THE GREATEST MOMENTS:
DAY ONE: Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal
DAY TWO: Roy Keane’s epic ‘f*****g” rant
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Originally published as The 30 greatest moments of the World Cup: Luis Suarez bites Italy defender Georgio Chiellini
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