Luis Suarez Says He Shares Lionel Messi’s ‘Pain’ Over Barcelona Exit

Luis Suarez said that he felt his friend and former teammate Lionel Messi's pain over his exit from Barcelona. The Uruguay star was pushed out of Barca and is now a member of Atletico Madrid.

"I was not surprised about Messi because I know him too well, I knew the pain he felt, as I did," Suarez said after Uruguay's 2-1 matchup against Chile on Thursday, Goal reported.

It was Messi who defended Suarez on social media last month by saying his friend deserved to be recognized as one of the club’s most important players. The past few months have been difficult for the Argentine star as he was close to leaving the club he’s served for almost two decades.

"He felt they kicked me out of the club because of the forms. There were other ways to do things correctly with me. They were six long years and that bothered him too. I see him as a friend and he knows how badly we suffered," Suarez added.

Suarez has been a consistent contributor for the Camp Nou-based squad since he joined the club from Liverpool in 2014. For the past six seasons, he blossomed into one of the more important pieces in Barcelona’s winning culture. In 283 appearances, he’s netted 195 goals and tallied 113 assists.

"My family wanted to see me happy. There are some strange things at Barcelona like sending you to train separately because you were not considered for the game," Suarez shared.

"Those kinds of things made me bad and my family saw me affected, so they encouraged me to take the opportunity. When Atletico came looking for me, I didn't hesitate for a single moment," the 33-year-old continued.

Other than Suarez leaving, Barcelona has had several changes in the past few months, with the sacking of manager Quique Setien and the departure of Ivan Rakitic.

"Obviously I have to get used to various things, but I feel very happy at Atletico," the five-time top scorer said.

In just three games with Atletico Madrid, Suarez has already scored two goals and issued an assist. Their team is currently at 12th place in the La Liga team standings with a record of a win and two draws.

The next La Liga matchup for El Atleti is on Oct. 18 against Celta Vigo.