Barcelona: Catalan football giants Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez on Tuesday said that Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos “is the toughest opponent I have come up against”.

“He is very strong, has a lot of experience, and is a very competitive player,” Efe quoted Suarez as saying about the Spanish international.

When asked about his first hat-trick with Barcelona last Sunday against Eibar in week nine of La Liga, Suarez said: “I am very happy with these goals because they helped us to win, while Lionel Messi was not there.

“That is very important, because he is our most important player, and to win without him is important for us. Lionel is good, he is continuing his recovery and is happy that the team can keep winning even though he is not there,” the Uruguayan forward stressed.

Suarez has already played 14 matches with Barcelona this season and scored 10 goals, while he played 43 games last season, in which he scored on 25 occasions.

“The one I scored against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou (stadium) which was the winner, those against Paris Saint-Germain, those against Manchester City and, above all, in the Champions League final (against Juventus) because that day I fulfilled my dream of winning it,” Suarez declared.