We’re not out to help Messi – Suarez

Luis Suarez has laughed off the idea that the Barcelona players have set out to help Lionel Messi beat Cristiano Ronaldo to La Liga’s top scorer award.

According to Soccernet, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the “Pichichi” award since the 2009-10 season, with the Argentine finishing top scorer on three occasions — including his record-setting 50 goals in 2011-12 – and the Real Madrid star winning it twice.

The pair appear to be the only candidates for this season’s award too, with Messi currently leading the Primera Division chart with 32 goals and Ronaldo — who has scored only six goals since the turn of the year – having scored 31. Neymar, third on the list, has scored 17.

However, Suarez laughed off a suggestion from German football magazine kicker that there was an agreement that the Barca players would provide Messi with assists to ensure he finishes ahead of Ronaldo in the “Pichichi” race.

“That’s a crazy idea,” the former Liverpool attacker said. “Messi told me after a few games: ‘I thought that you’d score and that’s why I didn’t move up the pitch.’ We apologise to each other when we have not passed the ball.”

He added: “To be honest, attackers are selfish by nature, but when I see Messi, (Andres) Iniesta or Xavi in a better position, I pass the ball. And we don’t need to talk about Neymar’s class.

“Sometimes we should make use of our shared potential even more. All of us want to score goals, but in the end it does not matter for the team who scored the goal.”

Suarez scored the key goal in last weekend’s Clasico to secure a 2-1 win and extend Barca’s lead over Real Madrid to four points, and he said that it represented “one of the most important goals

The Clasico winner was his eighth La Liga goal since making his debut in October after serving a four-month ban, but he has also contributed nine assists.

Suarez, who finished level with Ronaldo as Europe’s leading scorer after registering 31 goals for Liverpool last season, said people may be surprised by the fact he provided so many assists “because I won the Golden Boot last season,” but he added, “I also set up the most goals in Premier League, after Steven Gerrard.”