For Jamie Vardy, as for Cantona and Suarez, the past is never buried

"I didn't think that I had a responsibility not to do it because of who I was. No, I was just a footballer and a man. I don't care about being some sort of superior person. I just wanted to do whatever I wanted to do. If I want to kick a fan, I do it. I'm not a role model. I'm not a superior teacher, telling you how to behave. I think the more you see, the more you realize that life is a circus."

That was Eric Cantona speaking to FourFourTwo magazine in 2008, thirteen years after he jumped over the advertising hoarding at Selhurst Park and landed a two-footed kung fu kick in the chest of an abusive Crystal Palace fan named Matthew Simmons. When Cantona steadied himself, he smacked Simmons in the face for good measure. He received a two-week suspended prison sentence and was banned from soccer for nine months. But he has never apologized for his actions. In fact, the only regret Cantona has is that he didn't inflict more pain.

"I didn't punch him (Simmons) strong enough. I should have punched him harder", he said later.

I thought of Cantona while watching Luis Suarez hit four goals and three assists as Barcelona demolished Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday night to ease the pressure on the Catalan side in the intriguing race for the Spanish title.

Cantona and Suarez are complex characters.

Now an actor, Cantona knows the power of a catchy line, a killer delivery, a narrative. He knows how to be someone else.

His ban, caused by his own bad temper and penchant for violence, caused him some soul-searching too. It led to a different Cantona being born. When he returned to action, he was appointed Manchester United captain. While there had been a long list of bizarre misdemeanours before the attack on Simmons, he was on his best behaviour for what proved to be his final eighteen months in a red shirt. It culminated with two league titles, an FA Cup and a Footballer of the Year award that was voted on by the football writers - the same ones who had so furiously castigated and criticized him in the direct aftermath of that dark January night in London.

But it fits the Cantona story, the myth he's created, for him to brush off and belittle the effect of a high-profile mistake.

In fact, Cantona realized the need to atone and that's what he did. Probably not because of outside pressure but certainly for himself. He did not wish to be remembered as notorious. He preferred iconic.

Suarez has changed too. Like Cantona, he peddled a convenient truth. He has always protested the Football Association's decision to suspend him for racially abusing then-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during his spell with Liverpool. Suarez offered plenty of conspiracy theories but little contrition.

After biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, Suarez initially denied it before begrudgingly admitting and apologizing. Portrayed as a caricature rather than a gifted athlete, he continually sabotaged his own career trajectory. Just two months after being voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals and by football writers - an apparent turning point - he was banned for four months because of the Chiellini incident.

The Uruguayan has been prolific since moving to Barcelona. There has been a distinct lack of controversy and plenty of success.

In his first season at the Camp Nou, Suarez won the Spanish league and cup double and tasted Champions League glory too, scoring in the final against a Juventus side that featured Evra. He exorcised some demons by shaking hands with the Frenchman pre-game before getting the better of him on the pitch.

This term, it's Suarez keeping his head as others are losing theirs. Seemingly coasting to another La Liga triumph, the wheels have spectacularly come off the Barcelona juggernaut in recent weeks. The midweek win over Deportivo was their first in the league since 12 March. And it was Suarez who provided the stardust.

His statistics are mesmerizing. 30 league goals for the season, 49 in all competitions. Incredibly, Suarez has made 48 appearances in total.

It remains to be seen whether his individual brilliance will be enough for Barca to retain their crown but one thing is for certain - his previous errors can be gleefully ignored and pushed to the back. Right now, we can simply enjoy Suarez for the superb player he is.

The potency of Suarez can be contextualized further by the fact that he's managed more goals this season than prolific Premier League duo Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy combined.

The link to the latter is interesting.

Last weekend, the Leicester City striker was sent off after referee Jon Moss felt he cheated to try and win a penalty against West Ham. As he was shown a second yellow card, Vardy exploded with fury. Having never courted on-field controversy before, he was now facing a one-game ban at a crucial time in the title race. He gritted his teeth and pointed an index finger in the direction of Moss. He swore at Moss before trudging towards the touchline.

The FA have taken additional action and charged him with improper conduct. If he's found guilty, he could face a longer ban.

Vardy is the personification of the Leicester story - a player who came from the bottom (he was at non-league Fleetwood Town just four years ago), worked hard and eventually got his reward. The inexplicable journey is set to become a Hollywood movie.

Yet Vardy is learning a hard lesson.

Last summer, he racially abused an Asian gambler at a casino. It was caught on video and he later apologized. He was fined by his club and placed on a programme for diversity awareness training.

Despite being such an integral part of Leicester's incredible campaign, the incident continues to bubble under the surface.

With his latest offence, the tide has turned against him somewhat because now there's a pattern of Vardy's ill-advised actions.

It took an appalling mis-step for Cantona to re-focus while there was a long, painful process before Suarez eventually settled down.

For Vardy, he'll recognize now that the past is never buried. But it's up to him to ensure the future is what he's remembered for.