In retrospect, there was something almost inevitable about Luis Suárez moving to Atlético Madrid. Rarely do a club and player seem so temperamentally suited to each other: a forward committed to scoring by any means necessary inserted into a team that embodies the outlook of a coach, Diego Simeone, who was brought up in the best traditions of anti-fútbol in Argentina. Victorio Spinetto, the early youth coach who gave him the nickname “Cholo,” was the man whose football led to the invention of the term.
Suárez is 33, and his impact has diminished in recent seasons. It was no great surprise that when Ronald Koeman, who took over as Barcelona coach this summer, decided he was not part of his plans—although what that means for Koeman’s relationship with Suárez’s great friend Lionel Messi is unclear.