In the last three-and-a-half years, Luis Suarez has developed from a capricious and unpredictable talent into the best player in the Dutch premier league. The Uruguayan striker came to the Netherlands a headstrong teenager and transformed into a mature and married man with a sense of responsibility. "Growing up is an important process in anyone's life," the Ajax captain told NRC Handelsblad just before Sunday's 1-1 against rival team Feyenoord. "I learnt a lot, as a football player and as person over the last years. I owe my current trainer Martin Jol and my wife a lot of gratitude. It is important to have people by your side who believe in you. Who are always there for you and understand you."

The 23-year-old captain of the legendary team from Amsterdam is on the threshold of a challenging year. He will make his debut at a World Cup tournament with Uruguay, in South Africa this summer. Chances are he will transfer from Ajax to a first-rate European club, and he and his childhood girlfriend Sofia, whom he married last year, will have their first child in 2010. "Many beautiful things await me," he said with a beaming smile on his face. "But first and foremost, I feel responsible for Ajax right now."

'Jol has made me important'

Suarez is grateful to former Hamburg and Tottenham manager Jol for the confidence he gave him from the time they first met. The coach earned his trust by making him the captain of the team at the beginning of this season. Suarez has repaid him by scoring 18 goals in the Dutch premier league so far and setting up many more. He doesn't want to talk about Ajax' previous coach, Marco van Basten, who resigned last May after less than a year on the job. "Van Basten is in the past. All I can say is that Jol has made me a better player. He has made me important. Jol understands footballers and you know exactly what he is good for. He gives us the responsibility to choose whether we want to cycle or play a game of footvolley, for example. The manager tells the press the exact same things about players as he tells us in the locker room. I have known my share of managers who do the opposite. In football, a lot is about trust. Players have to feel happy," he explained.

The Ajax captain has found his way in the Netherlands over the years. Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz came to FC Groningen from Montevideo club Nacional in 2006. He and his then girlfriend Sofia embarked on an uncertain adventure in the far north of the Netherlands. But in his very first season, under the wings of manager Ron Jans and fellow Uruguayan Bruno Silva, Suarez became the discovery of the league. Ajax signed him the following year.

His ambition ever since the summer of 2007 has been to become national champion with the team from Amsterdam that has been without a league title since 2004. "No, I have not succeeded at that yet, but the goal is still the same as it was last year and the year before." After the draw in Rotterdam on Sunday, Ajax is third in the league, nine points behind both PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente. "We are behind and it will be difficult again. We are unlucky that PSV and Twente let very few points slip. We have to win every match to stand a chance, and that in itself is not an easy task."

Failing badly in crucial games

"I think the players should take a good look at themselves. I notice some of them lack character and ambition. We have to stop hiding behind stories about us having young players that are in a learning process. Off the pitch they can say that about themselves personally, but not as a football player for Ajax on the field. I try to get that across to them. On the field you have to forget everything and show you are worth playing for Ajax. Of course, I too lose the ball sometimes, but I always show the absolute drive to win. When I see guys give up after they lose the ball, I get angry. It is very frustrating."

Suarez especially blamed his teammates for failing badly in crucial games against PSV (a 4-3 loss), FC Twente (1-0) and FC Utrecht (2-0). "In those games specifically, we had to make a difference, but some didn't rise to the occasion. We have to play more intelligently. My opinion is not more important than that of others, and I am not always right, but I need to see people improve their attitude."

Suarez gets upset when critics say Ajax relies solely on him. "People who say that have no respect for the other players. It makes me angry and it is blatantly untrue. Football is always a game of 11 against 11. The others at Ajax should shouldn't worry about whether I play or not. I am just one player in the team."

The Netherlands as a springboard

Over the winter break, El Pistolero, as the top scorer is known, renewed his contract with Ajax to last until 2013. It was mostly an improvement of his salary. "I wanted to extend it last year and I am happy we agreed now. I am happy here as a player and a person, that's why I want to stay. If I was in this for the money, I would have left a long time ago. I am here to improve myself as a player. I think I can still develop here. But in football, you never know where your future lies. If June brings a bid that both Ajax and I can benefit from, I will leave. But it will be with great sorrow."

Suarez encourages other South American talents to use the Netherlands as a springboard to a real European top club. In the last weeks, the captain played a decisive role in Ajax signing 20-year-old Nicolas Lodeiro, also from Uruguay. The two players know each other from their days at Nacional's youth academy. "He is a smart guy who knows what he wants. I told him about my career, as an example, and I was honest with him: his future looks better here than it would at AZ [the current champions who were also keen on signing Lodeiro]. He can learn a lot more here and Ajax has a record of selling players to other European clubs. This is a excellent stepping stone for him, but it won't be an easy ride. He will have to adjust, both on and off the pitch. Things can go wrong, just look at Jonathan Reis," Suarez said, referring to the Brazilian player who was recently sacked by PSV for refusing help to treat his drug addiction. "That kid will have to decide soon if he is serious about succeeding as a football player."

Suarez learnt what it was like to be on his own from an early age. Born in the town of Salto, he was put in the care of his grandparents in Montevideo soon after his 12th birthday. There he met his future wife, long before his career in football took off. "We have been together for seven years, long before the fame and the money. That makes my connection to my wife so strong. She is my mainstay. I don't know how things would have worked out if I had been on my own in the Netherlands. It was my wife who said I should look after my image, when I became Ajax's captain. That's why I cut off my long hair." Adding with a laugh: "The hair I let grow before because she liked that so much."