Aspas: Suárez was key at Liverpool; the Premier League is "purer" than La Liga

Recently, Celta Vigo legend Iago Aspas gave an exclusive interview to the show "Feeberse." In the second part of the interview, he stated that Luis Suárez played a decisive role during his time at Liverpool and pointed out that, compared to La Liga, the football culture in the Premier League is "more focused on the game itself."

"I'm really curious—when Liverpool reached out, who was it that contacted you and said, 'Hey, we want you to come here'?"

"It was roughly two months before the season ended. My team told me Liverpool were interested and willing to pay my release clause or reach an agreement with the club. I replied, 'Okay, this is my current situation—we can take our time and see how things develop. I hope we can quickly secure Celta’s survival first, and then finalize everything afterward.' I made it clear: I didn’t want to discuss anything until the season was over."

"Later, a Liverpool executive actually came and met with the club, my agent, and my brother. They worked out all the terms. As soon as the season ended, the transfer was officially completed."

"At Liverpool, you played alongside many top players—prime Daniel Sturridge, Suárez, the legendary Steven Gerrard... Who impressed you the most?"

"Coutinho was there too, but Suárez was truly on another level. I arrived for preseason training, and he came back later because he was playing in the Copa América or the World Cup—I can’t remember which. But the moment he showed up, even in simple rondos, you could instantly tell he was the best."

"Of course, we also had Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling, Lucas Leiva... We had many outstanding players, like center-backs Martin Škrtel and Kolo Touré." 

"But the one who truly gave us that extra edge—the one who almost led us to win the league—was Suárez."

"What did you learn from Suárez? You mentioned earlier that you originally played as an attacking midfielder or winger, only becoming a fixed striker later at Celta. Being next to him must have been a masterclass in finishing, right?"

"Yes. Actually, at the start of preseason, I was playing as an attacking midfielder. When the league began, Suárez was still serving a suspension—I don’t recall if it was for biting someone or something else—but he had a carryover ban of four or five matches from the previous season. So I started the first few games as a striker."

"We won our first three or four matches. But as soon as he returned, the spot was obviously his. We switched to a 4-3-3, and he’d drift left or right—but his level was just so high. I remember that season, despite missing those games, he still scored 32 or 33 goals."

"From the outside, Anfield always seems to have a special atmosphere—that traditional, English football vibe. You’ve played there, walked through the players’ tunnel, experienced the locker room... What do you think makes Anfield truly unique?"

"It’s a fantastic stadium, especially because of the fans and how they experience matchday—it’s probably a bit different from Spain."

"In Spain, the media and social networks might be buzzing all week, but the actual matchday itself can feel less intense. In England, midweek football doesn’t generate as much buzz, but on matchday—whether kickoff is at 4 p.m. or 10 p.m.—the whole area around the stadium is packed. People are more immersed in the game itself, not endless pre- and post-match chatter." 

"In Spain, losing a match might be dissected for weeks, but there, a loss is just a loss. They pour all their energy into the stadium to support the players and push for victory."

"As for the stadium itself, the locker room was quite 'old-school'—they’ve probably renovated it by now to meet UEFA standards, but I remember back then, the starting eleven changed first according to tradition, and the rest had to wait because there simply wasn’t enough space. The ceiling was so low that tall players had to duck to get into the showers."

"Fulham’s ground was even more extreme—their locker room felt like it was in a 'neighbor’s house,' tucked into the corner between the goal-line stand and the main stand, with home and away teams on opposite sides... Things like that may have changed with the evolution of football, but that feeling was truly special."

"Was there anything else that made you think, 'Wow, I’ve never seen this in La Liga'?"

"Their financial power is stronger—they can sign any type of player. The club culture is also far more diverse. You might join a mid-table team and find only three English players, with the rest being eight Africans, seven Asians, five South Americans... Spain has more foreign players now too, but not to that extent."

"For example, look at Celta—you might see 16 Spanish players. But look at Arsenal, and you might find just one Englishman, five from Brazil, four Spaniards... They care less about local origins and more about the club itself."

"And because they have more money, they’re willing to experiment differently. If a player costs €10 million and doesn’t work out, they can sell him for €5 million the next year without issue. Here, if you spend €10 million, you have to do everything possible to extract his full value."

"Finally, I want to ask about one name. You played with many stars during your season in England, but recently we spoke to Jesús Pérez—he spent nine years in the Premier League and played with Eden Hazard at Chelsea. He said, 'When Real Madrid signed Hazard, I told my friends he’d outshine everyone.' For a couple of years, he was truly incredible—maybe even ranked among the top three to five players in the world after Messi and Ronaldo. Were you surprised he didn’t succeed at Real Madrid?"

"Honestly, yes. I’ve also talked about this with Marcos Alonso, who was Hazard’s teammate at Chelsea." Marcos said, "He was absolutely insane back then."

"I don’t know if it’s because joining a giant club like Real Madrid brings completely different pressure—as I mentioned earlier, here you live under the spotlight every single week, even after matches." "Maybe in England, they gave him more space and less pressure. And he seemed like a quiet, introverted person. Every player adapts differently—someone might struggle in one place but thrive somewhere else. As you know, tactics, coaching... all these factors influence whether a player can truly perform."