Luis Suarez was dubbed as the villain of the football world after he bit Giorgio Chiellini during a match between Italy and Uruguay at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The forward was imposed with a four-month ban for his actions although it was not the first time, Suarez had actually bit someone on the field. In 2013, the Uruguayan was given a 10-match penalty for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. However, the Juventus defender recently revealed that he admires Suarez for his ‘mischief’ on the pitch. Luis Suarez Injury Update: Barcelona Striker on Course to Return to Training.

Luis Suarez caused outrage in footballing world with his antics in the Italy-Uruguay game in 2014, although the forward wasn’t cautioned in the match as the South Americans won 1-0 and moved on to the farther round, he was handed a four-month ban afterwards. Chiellini himself has a reputation of being tough on the field and understands why the striker may have lost his cool during the game. Cristiano Ronaldo Steps Up His Game in Champions League, Says Giorgio Chiellini.

‘The truth is, I admire his mischief, because if Suarez were to lose that, he would become an average player,’ Chiellini said in his autobiography. ‘I marked (Edinson) Cavani for most of the match, another guy who is difficult to mark and who we didn't hold back against,’ the Italian continued.

‘Suddenly I noticed that I had been bitten in the shoulder. It just happened, but that's his strategy in hand-to-hand combat and, if I may say so, it's mine too. He and I are alike, and I like to take on attackers like him.’ The Juventus veteran added.

The Italian’s autobiography has caused quite a stir in recent months as he has been criticizing his former team-mates. In his book, Chiellini claimed that Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri ‘stinks of smoke’ while Mario Balotelli was labelled as a ‘negative person’ who deserved a ‘slap’.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2020 09:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).