Luis Suarez shared a warm moment with his former Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson's son, Kobi Johnson, at Inter Miami's training complex in Fort Lauderdale.
The 39-year-old Uruguayan striker was at the South Florida facility for the Messi Cup, a youth tournament hosted by Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami. While at the ground, Suarez spotted Kobi Johnson lining up with the Chelsea Under-14s squad, who are competing in the tournament in the United States.
The former Liverpool and Barcelona striker walked over to speak with the youngster before smiling and posing together for a photograph.
"I used to play with your dad, I've known you since you were little," Suarez told the young Chelsea player.
Speaking about the chance encounter with the one-time Champions League winner, the teenage Johnson recalled what his father's former colleague said to him at the complex.
"He (Suarez) just said like, he remembers when I was a little boy and I was quite chubby, and then he asked for a photo," Kobi Johnson said.
Kobi Johnson's progress in the Chelsea academy
Kobi Johnson has been at Chelsea since joining the club at the under-eights level. He has risen steadily through the west London club's youth ranks, gaining a reputation as an exciting young talent tipped to follow his father into professional football.
Chelsea's youth academy develops players across age-group sides from the under-eights through to the senior pathway. Kobi's father, Glen Johnson, spent part of his own top-flight career at Stamford Bridge, playing 357 Premier League games in total across spells with Chelsea, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Stoke City.
The former right-back won back-to-back Premier League titles with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006 before later moving to Liverpool, where he played alongside Suarez.
Four seasons as Liverpool team-mates
Suarez and Glen Johnson spent four seasons together at Liverpool between 2011 and 2015. Both players were part of the Liverpool side that narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2014 following captain Steven Gerrard's famous slip at Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge.
It was during that period at Anfield that Suarez was accused of racially abusing former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra during a Premier League match between the two clubs in 2011. Suarez was subsequently banned for eight matches after it was ruled that he had used racist language towards Evra.
Glen Johnson controversially defended his team-mate in public at the time of the ban, and years later remained conflicted over how the incident unfolded.
Glen Johnson's comments and Suarez's spell in Miami
Speaking on British sports radio station talkSPORT in 2019, Glen Johnson addressed former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher's apology over the club's public backing of Suarez at the time.
"Carra (former team-mate Jamie Carragher) was right to apologise and I'd have to agree with him; I think the timing of it was wrong as the ban was so close," Johnson said on talkSPORT.
"But in the club's defence, they were just trying to support one of their players," he added. "I don't think anyone in that dressing room or at the club believed Luis was racist or capable of being racist."
Now 42, Glen Johnson is enjoying retirement after leaving the professional game for good in 2018. Suarez, Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer, continues his playing career in the United States with Inter Miami, where he plays alongside fellow former Barcelona legends Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.
