Sunday 13 July 2014 11:39, UK
David Beckham feels Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez shows a lot of the same maverick qualities as his former Manchester United team-mate Eric Cantona.
Suarez is poised to complete a move to Spain this week, with terms agreed between Liverpool and Barcelona on a deal reported to be worth £75m to the Premier League side.
The Uruguay striker hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, not for the first time in his career, at the World Cup in Brazil when he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Suarez is banned from all football activities for four months, although an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is still on the cards, but Beckham says that should not take away from his skills on the field, which remind him of Cantona.
Cantona was constantly in trouble with the authorities during his career, earning an eight-month ban for his infamous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan.
Beckham said: "All I see is two great players. I know what he (Suarez) did is inexcusable, like me in 1998, but these things happen.
"He's come out and apologised. He understands he is a role model and I think that is one of the reasons he has come out so strongly and said it wouldn't happen again.
"Eric was a great player, a legend, and a player I always looked up to. Same with Luis. For me, I look at his football talent and he is a hell of a talent.
"Liverpool were so close to winning the championship last year and he was a real big part of that. You never want to see great talent leaving one of the biggest and strongest leagues in the world."
