Suarez: Im here cos of Tevez
In the red corner Luis Suarez booed by fans from Newcastle to Norwich for racially abusing Manchester Uniteds Patrice Evra last year and the PR disaster that followed.
In the blue Carlos Tevez, for six months a pariah at even his own club, yet transformed into a title-winning hero after his incredible return from the wilderness in March.
Now Liverpool hitman Suarez has revealed that if Tevez had not made the move to England six years ago, and proved such a smash hit, there is every chance he would not have come.
Suarez, recently committed to another four years at Anfield, used to watch the Argentine tearing defences apart for West Ham, Manchester United and City, during his days with Groningen and Ajax.
And it was seeing the success his fellow South American had in England which convinced the Uruguay star he could crack it himself when Liverpool came calling two years ago.
Suarez revealed: I watched Tevez when I was playing in Holland and I could see he was doing really well.
His success was one of the things which motivated me to come here.
I thought that if Tevez could do really well, then I could do too as I have a similar physical stature.
For all the controversy surrounding both men, the one thing over which there is no dispute is their brilliance. Yet, last term, it appeared both would be lost to the English game.
Tevez was in six-month exile at City, following his refusal to step from the bench in a Champions League game at Bayern Munich, only to be called in from the cold when Citys title assault was faltering and play a leading role in their glory.
Suarez found himself sidelined for almost two months for that Evra incident, and refusing to to shake the United stars hand when they met again at Old Trafford in February guaranteed he was loathed by everyone outside Anfield.
But that is the way it has always been with the Uruguay forward, with his final days at Ajax tarnished by a seven-game ban for biting PSV Eindhovens Otman Bakkal.
Quiet and enchanting off the pitch, he is transformed into a must-win monster on it. Even Suarez admits his desire for victory is such, he is unlikely to change now.
He added: I play football in a different way. I love it and put 100 per cent into it but I recognise sometimes this leads to unusual behaviour.
Ive worked hard to get where I am today and the 90 minutes on the pitch are so important to me. Thats why I fight so hard.
Suarez has been fighting the odds ever since he was a child too poor for boots, kicking a rag ball around the Salto streets.
He used to pick up coins from the floor to help buy things for childhood sweetheart Sofia Balbi, now his wife.
And when his father, Rodolfo, walked out on the family after they moved to Montevideo, Suarez and his six siblings lived anything but the life of luxury as mum Sandra brought them up alone.
He added: It was hard for me as a kid to get through as a footballer in Uruguay and I do remember playing without shoes.
I had to sacrifice a lot to get where I am, so now I dont want to miss any of the opportunities that are open to me. Thats why I play hard on the pitch.
It was an upbringing which instilled an unswerving sense of loyalty into Suarez. So when PSG and Juventus made overtures over the summer, he had no hesitation sticking with the club which had backed him to the hilt during the Evra row.
Suarez admitted: There were clubs that wanted to sign me but my priority was always to stay and sign for Liverpool. The club has trust in me because of the work I do on the pitch and what happened in the past is over.
Im interested only in the Liverpool and Uruguay supporters.
Other fans, of course, are fanatical about their own teams and its not as if theyre going to support an opposition player anyway so Im not interested in the reception they give me.
He can certainly expect the warmest of receptions tomorrow, when Liverpool begin their home Premier League campaign against the champions.
And Suarez wants to get the Reds back on track after the horrors of their opening-day defeat at West Brom, when he missed loads of chances.
He added: Sometimes Im rushing at chances too much and I know the problem is mine. Its up to me to sort it out and start scoring goals.
Given the way headlines follow Suarez around, you would not bet against him reigniting the Reds.
And there is nothing he would love better than a repeat of his last meeting with Tevez, when Uruguay dumped Argentina from the Copa America quarter-finals on penalties.
Suarez revealed: Yes, I scored in the shootout. Ill remind him about it!