For both negative and positive reasons, 2010 was a year when people started to stand up and take notice of Luis Suarez.
Then at Ajax, the forward ended the 2009-10 campaign with 49 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions, which sent him into that summer's World Cup in good form.
However, it was in South Africa with his Uruguayan teammates where he would become a villain after a deliberate handball on the line, which prevented Ghana from booking their spot in the semi-finals. It was not so much the offence that caused anger, but more his celebration as he watched the resultant penalty be missed.
Nevertheless, he returned to his Dutch employers as a world-renowned footballer and continued his goalscoring form by hitting 12 by the time that his side took on rivals PSV Eindhoven at the Amsterdam ArenA on November 20.
In stoppage time, with the score locked at 0-0, Ajax's Rasmus Lindgren was issued with a red card for a challenge on PSV winger Ibrahim Afellay. During the subsequent melee, though, it would be Suarez who ensured that he would be the centre of the headlines again when he bit PSV's Otman Bakkal on the shoulder.
It was not seen by any of the match officials, although Ajax immediately suspended their centre-forward for the next two matches and insisted that he would make a donation to a local charity.
While he would later issue an apology, during his post-match interview, Suarez did not appear to be full of remorse: "No, I do not regret what happened. Normally I always keep calm but I didn't. I'm a little tired. This week I had to travel a lot."
The Dutch Football Association did not take too kindly to his actions and subsequent quotes and so they announced his punishment three years ago today.
They opted to ban him for the following seven matches, which ruled him out of domestic action until the beginning of February. Suarez also still had a one-game suspension hanging over his head following a red card during a friendly encounter in July.
As it turned out, Suarez would never play for Ajax again because in late January 2011 he switched to Premier League outfit Liverpool as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Fernando Torres for a reported £22.8m. It was a move that would not cease his biting habit, though.
Liam Apicella
