Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has expressed his desire to change the public's perception of him as a person.

Suarez has been involved in a number of controversial incidents during his career, including receiving bans for allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra and biting Branislav Ivanovic.

However, his performances on the field dominated the headlines last season as he was named both FWA and PFA Player of the Year, and the Uruguay international believes that he has developed into a "role model" over the past year.

"I want to change the bad boy image that has stuck for a bit because I don't think I am at all how I have been portrayed. I would like that to change because it's awful to hear and read what is said of you," Suarez told Sports Illustrated.

"On the field, sometimes passion overwhelms you and you do things you regret afterward. At the same time, you have a chance to learn from those things. I think I [have] been a role model since last summer; I have been professional, and I have the desire to forge ahead and play well regardless of what is said to me.

"I've had some attitudes on the field that weren't very good for my image. But those weren't really me outside the field, I'm very shy. I realised I had to adjust my attitude on the field, to continue to play well but without the bad attitude."

Suarez faces a race to be fit in time for this summer's World Cup having undergone an operation on his knee last month.