Luis Suarez shared a special moment with Kobi Johnson, the son of his former Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson, during a visit to Inter Miami’s training complex in Fort Lauderdale.
The 39-year-old Uruguayan striker was attending the Messi Cup, a youth football tournament hosted by the MLS club, when he noticed Kobi among the Chelsea Under-14 squad competing in the United States.
Recognising the youngster, Suarez approached him and recalled his relationship with his father, telling him: “I used to play with your dad, I’ve known you since you were little.”
The former Barcelona and Liverpool forward subsequently posed for a photograph with Kobi.
Kobi Recalls Encounter With Former Liverpool Striker
Speaking about the unexpected meeting, Kobi revealed that Suarez remembered him from when he was much younger.
“He (Suarez) just said like, he remembers when I was a little boy and I was quite chubby, and then he asked for a photo,” the teenager said.
Kobi has been part of Chelsea’s academy since joining the club at under-eight level.
He has continued to progress through the youth ranks and is regarded as one of the promising young players within the club’s development system.
Glen Johnson and Suarez Shared Four Seasons at Liverpool
Kobi’s father, Glen Johnson, enjoyed a lengthy professional career, making 357 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Stoke City.
The former right-back won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006 before joining Liverpool, where he spent four seasons alongside Suarez between 2011 and 2015.
The pair were part of the Liverpool side that came close to winning the Premier League title in the 2013-14 season.
However, Brendan Rodgers’ team ultimately missed out on the championship following a dramatic campaign that included Steven Gerrard’s costly slip against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Johnson Previously Defended Suarez Over Evra Incident
Their time together at Liverpool also coincided with the controversy surrounding Suarez’s alleged racial abuse of former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during a Premier League meeting between the clubs in 2011.
Suarez was subsequently handed an eight-match suspension after being found to have used racist language towards Evra.
Johnson publicly defended his former team-mate at the time, a position he continued to discuss several years after the incident.
Speaking on talkSPORT in 2019, the former England international acknowledged that Jamie Carragher had been right to apologise over the timing of the club’s response.
“Carra (former team-mate Jamie Carragher) was right to apologise and I’d have to agree with him; I think the timing of it was wrong as the ban was so close,” Johnson said.
“But in the club’s defence, they were just trying to support one of their players.
“I don’t think anyone in that dressing room or at the club believed Luis was racist or capable of being racist.”
Suarez Continues Playing Alongside Barcelona Former Team-mates
Johnson, now 42, retired from professional football in 2018 and has since stepped away from the game as a player.
Suarez, meanwhile, remains active in the United States with Inter Miami, where he plays alongside former Barcelona colleagues Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.
The striker’s appearance at the club’s training complex for the Messi Cup provided the opportunity for the reunion with his former team-mate’s son.
