Suarez backs Neymar amid criticism: 'It hurts him'

Recent criticism of Barcelona forward Neymar has hurt the Brazilian, according to teammate Luis Suarez.

Neymar scored in Wednesday's rollicking 8-0 win at Deportivo to end a 579-minute goalless streak, but his antics during the weekend's loss to Valencia cast a negative shadow on him. He was seen quarreling with Valencia players at the Camp Nou, reportedly telling one of them, "Shut up, I earn ten times more than you."

Suarez and Lionel Messi also had their problems finding the back of the net as Barcelona blew a comfortable lead in La Liga and failed in its bid to capture back-to-back Champions League titles.

"We're human beings. We are not machines. Neymar has come in for a lot of criticism and it hurts him," the Uruguayan told reporters Thursday. "He's a friend and a teammate and he has feelings like everyone else. We are all trying to support him.

"He has always had a positive attitude, he never drops his head. He's a fighter and he always will be."

With four strikes and three assists at the Estadio Riazor, Suarez put himself just one goal behind Cristiano Ronaldo's 31 in the race for the Pichichi award. His dominant performance brought an emphatic end to a similarly dodgy run, during which Suarez botched several routine efforts.

"Sometimes you laugh because you miss easy chances, but we always have faith in the quality in this team," he said. "We knew that good results would eventually come back."

Barcelona will continue its march for redemption, in the form of a 24th La Liga crown, at home Saturday against Sporting Gijon.