Comparing Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie: Who was the superior player?

Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie, with a combined total of 213 Premier League goals and three Golden Boots, are undoubtedly among the most impressive strikers England has witnessed.

These two players were consistently excellent throughout the early 2010s, delivering outstanding performances and exquisite goal-scoring.

But who was superior?

As a part of 90min's feature series exploring the 50 greatest Premier League players, we aim to answer this question.

When evaluating two of history's greatest Premier League strikers, their goal records cannot be ignored.

In the Premier League, Van Persie netted a staggering 144 goals over an 11-year career, whereas Suarez hit 69 goals in merely three-and-a-half seasons. Even though Van Persie scored more goals than Suarez, his career in the Premier League spanned a much longer duration.

To determine which of these two was the more potent striker, we have utilized a slightly complex calculation to ascertain who had the better minutes-per-goal ratio.

Robin van Persie: 140 minutes-per-goal.

Luis Suarez: 139 minutes-per-goal.

The difference of a mere minute between the two places Suarez as the winner in the first category.

If we were assessing their overall careers rather than their Premier League stints, Suarez would have been the undeniable champion. His UEFA Champions League winner's medal and being named Player of the Season for Barcelona while playing with one of the best football players ever significantly surpasses everything Van Persie achieved.

However, the subject matter of this article is the Premier League exclusively.

The widely-known Premier League failures of Luis Suarez during his tenure at Liverpool due to 'The Slip' and 'Crystanbul' and Robin van Persie's dramatic move to Manchester United resulting in their final league title under Sir Alex Ferguson bear contrasting results.

Van Persie wins this point.

Transitioning from the tangibles to the somewhat intangible, there is no denying that both Van Persie and Suarez had a touch of x-factor in their games.

Regardless of whether it was a spectacular finish against Newcastle United (Suarez), or a brilliant volley against Aston Villa (Van Persie), both could make the impossible possible.

In this category, Suarez slightly outperforms Van Persie, as evidenced by his astonishing compilation of plays.

Van Persie and Suarez are considered two of the top 50 greatest Premier League players of all time (as ranked by us). However, Suarez emerges as the marginally superior one among the two.

After all, the Uruguayan is acknowledged as one of the best strikers ever.

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