Luis Suarez collected his second successive Standard Chartered Player of the Month award and revealed how he hopes to spend many more years scoring goals for Liverpool.
Suarez collected 54 percent of votes following his October performances, which included three goals and a Merseyside derby he’ll never forget.
After being presented with the award at Melwood, he told Liverpoolfc.com: “I have a very long contract here, and it’s a dream come true to be playing at a club like Liverpool because, as I’ve said, as a boy I dreamed of playing for a team like this.
“Now I’m here, it’s all about enjoying myself and trying to be here for as many years as I can, because I’m at a club where I’m very happy, my family is happy, I’ve got fantastic teammates and a manager from whom I’m learning so much.
“As a player, it’s vital to have the backing of your manager and so I think that the confidence Brendan [Rodgers] is showing in myself and the team as a whole is very important and it’s down to us to repay that trust out there on the pitch.
“Let’s hope we can keep improving,” Suarez added. “I’m working well and I’m very happy at a club where I’ve always wanted to be. At a club to whom I’m very grateful for the trust everyone is showing in me — a club with amazing supporters and teammates who are all great people.
“The other important thing is that the squad is very united. In spite of not getting the results we would have liked, we have a great spirit of togetherness and let’s hope we can continue to pick up points.”
Suarez has fired 11 goals so far this season and is currently joint top of the Barclays Premier League scoring charts with eight top-flight strikes.
Such statistics have made a mockery of suggestions the Uruguayan is not an archetypal goalscorer.
Overall, Suarez has an impressive 32 goals in 68 appearances for Liverpool so far.
The 25-year-old is firmly established as one of the most recognizable characters in the Barclays Premier League, but while a firm favorite on the Kop, he is often on the receiving end of jeers from opposing fans.
Nonetheless, Suarez insists that such treatment only serve to motivate him further.
“I think you need to really know a person before you criticize them or speak out about them,” he explained. “I think sometimes the opposition fans are more interested in booing Luis Suarez for the problems he had or because he’s gone down for something than they are in their own team!
“I think that each set of supporters should just worry about their own team and leave their opponents well alone, just like the Liverpool fans do.
“I think our fans are the perfect example and always show how to help the team by wanting to get behind the side. It doesn’t matter who the opposition are, the only thing they want is for their team to win by giving a lift to the players with their support.
“That’s what the other clubs’ fans need to do — get behind their own side and not just think about Suarez, because all that does is motivate me even more to do well.”
Suarez has made a habit of silencing opposing supporters — and he did so once more by heading the equalizer in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
The result means the Reds are in 13th position in the table with 12 points heading into this weekend’s Anfield clash with Wigan Athletic.
It’s a game that can be classified as “must win,” according to Suarez.
“Chelsea was a result that was neither good nor bad,” said the No. 7. “I guess we really need to be picking up as many points as we can, given that we haven’t got as many points on the board that a club like Liverpool would expect to have at this stage.
“Wigan is an absolute must-win fixture. It’s a very important game for us to gain in confidence for the matches ahead and to get stronger here at Anfield, which is where we need to make the difference.”
