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Former Liverpool star Martin Kelly has revealed that he once confronted Luis Suarez in training after the Uruguayan striker would not stop kicking him.
Kelly, 35, has announced his retirement from professional soccer after leaving West Bromwich Albion last summer. The defender started his career at Liverpool before spending eight years at Crystal Palace and a short stint at West Brom.
Toward the end of his time at Liverpool, Kelly saw the best of Suarez and admitted he was one of the most unique players he's ever interacted with. While most of his memories were positive, Kelly once confronted Suarez after being kicked about in training.
Kelly made 62 appearances for Liverpool and won the League Cup in 2011, but was on the verge of winning the Premier League title during the 2013-14 season. Liverpool's near-miss was largely down to Suarez, who scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League games that season.
Suarez may have only been at Liverpool for three-and-a-half seasons, but Kelly saw his talent. In an interview with The Athletic, he opened up about what Suarez was like in training.
"He did something I’d never seen before," Kelly said. "He would play 90 minutes on a Saturday and then train on a Sunday with us lads who hadn’t featured — he didn’t want to just do recovery.
"At one point, we squared up to each other and he was laughing at me, saying: 'Kelly, you’re crazy.' I said: 'Just stop kicking me. Why are you kicking me?' He was always so game — that will to win."
Suarez almost dragged Liverpool to its first Premier League title, but an infamous collapse at Selhurst Park essentially ended all hopes. Liverpool was 3-0 against Palace but conceded three goals in the final 11 minutes, settling for a 3-3 draw.
"Luis [Suarez] was in tears and I felt so sorry him for him because he had given so much for the team," Kelly said of Suarez's heartbreak to the Liverpool Echo. "Everyone had worked so hard to put the club in a position to win the title.
"There had been so many highs during the season, and there was a real sense of togetherness in the squad. But with that result, everyone knew it was over. Palace burst the bubble and brought Liverpool crashing back down to earth."
Kelly then controversially joined Palace that summer, with the London club extremely unpopular on Merseyside following the comeback. "The noise the Palace fans made that night was incredible, and it was one of the major reasons why I decided to come here," Kelly said.
"The only other grounds where I’ve experienced an atmosphere like that are Anfield and Goodison. Selhurst Park was bouncing. When I heard Palace were interested, I thought back to that night and what it would be like to play in front of those supporters all the time."
Kelly made 148 appearances for Palace before joining West Brom in 2022. His last soccer match was in 2024, but the defender has officially announced his retirement.
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