Luis Suarez on Ballon d'Or snub: 'Every time that I speak there could be a problem'

One omission was more notable than any other when FIFA unveiled its 23-man shortlist for this year's coveted Ballon d'Or award.

Luis Suarez, the cannibalistic striker who notched 31 goals for Liverpool last season - 10 more than his nearest rival - along with 12 assists, was nowhere to be seen.

FIFA's decision obviously had a great deal to do with the fact that Suarez missed a quarter of the calendar year following the World Cup, when he took a bite out of Giorgio Chiellini and subsequently received a ban that only ended when Barcelona met Real Madrid in October's installment of El Clasico.

Whether or not the omission is justified is the subject of much debate. But in conversation with Spanish radio station RAC1 on Monday night, Suarez took a stance on the snub in a fashion far milder than what we've come to expect from him.

"Everyone brings it to attention, as Gerard Pique said, and what he told me is that they voted me as the best player in the most difficult league in the world, or one of the most difficult," Suarez said. "I was also the highest goalscorer of all of the European leagues. But I prefer to keep quiet before saying things because every time that I speak there could be a problem."

Since returning to the pitch, Suarez has yet to score and Barcelona have yet to win a match.