Dear Liverpool FC and your supporters:

Thank you.

Liverpool Football Club has gained three million new supporters in Uruguay, and this is not a common thing. All over South America, football fans generally become attached to a player and not his club in Europe. In Uruguay, things are different. And it’s something I’ve never seen happen before. The first thing I noticed that fans took positively about Liverpool FC (when Luis first joined) was the striking similarities between both football cultures. You see, Uruguay’s football culture is a bit different in that it treats its national team more like a club than the usual manifestation of nationalism seen around the world. Fans and players fight for the shirt (+ its history), and the culture very inclusive to any fan, regardless of nationality.

*(Video: Australia’s Craig Foster explains Uruguay’s football culture better than I ever could. )*

When Luis first went to Liverpool, Sky-Blue fans from all corners were thrilled to have discovered (maybe for the first time) a club that shared the same devotion to tradition and history in football. But what further set Liverpool FC apart was the humanity they displayed towards Luis and his small family.



Flash forward to the summer of 2013, and Sky-Blue fans all over the world were legitimately furious at Luis Suarez for even considering leaving Liverpool. Beyond the titles and the glamorous history, they saw a level of compassion that is rarely seen in a professional football establishment. A legend like Kenny Dalglish put his reputations on the line for what in his heart he believed was right. Friends like Glen Johnson and Steven Gerrard publicly supported him in the face of a hysterical and calculating media. You know your true friends are the ones who stand by you when a mob-like majority has ostracized you. And the fans, as well as his international teammates knew that Liverpool FC had become friends in the truest sense of the word.

These people knew that Luis would never find another club on earth as perfect as Liverpool. At the time, Liverpool FC and their supporters were understandably disappointed. But instead they continued on the same way they had always done: with class, empathy and kindness. The club and its supporters continuously offered their support (emotional and psychological), and made him feel at moer than ever. This helped him turn the page from an agonizing period in his life, and he went on to have his best ever year with Liverpool.

So, all I can say is: thank you. I wish the language barrier wasn’t historically a factor in keeping these two football cultures from interacting. Because, your hairs would stand up at seeing how this entire tiny nation has taken to Liverpool’s cause. I wish all the best to our friends on Merseyside.

Sincerely,

Alvaro

(@Foxfang4)