PATRICE EVRA has lifted the lid on his explosive time at Manchester United and insisted he does not hate Luis Suarez.
Former Liverpool striker Suarez is the man who was accused of racism and banned for eight matches after clashes which led to death threats for Evra.
Suarez even refused to shake hands when the Reds met Manchester United after the Uruguay striker was hit with his lengthy suspension and a £40,000 fine, stoking the fires of an inferno burning through English football.
Evra admitted he wanted "to punch Suarez in the face" after a match in which he claims the Anfield man called him "negro" throughout the match at a racially-charged time.
But the 38-year-old, who announced his retirement last week, holds no animosity towards Suarez, now at Barcelona.
Evra, speaking to the Mail on Sunday, said: "I don't hate him. I never hated him. I wanted to punch him at the time but for me to hate someone is impossible.
"I don't have hate in my heart. I can react but hate is a strong word for me."
Evra was first accused of inventing the abuse and then forced to watch as Liverpool fans backed their man.
Due to those allegations made against Suarez, Evra received death threats and was on constant guard at his then home in Cheshire's posh Alderley Edge.
He said: "I received a lot of letters of death. For months, I had a security car parked outside my house in Alderley Edge 24 hours a day.
"It wasn't easy for my family but I grew up on tough streets in Les Ulis so for me it was like something normal.
I received a lot of letters of death. For months, I had a security car parked outside my house in Alderley Edge 24 hours a day
"But maybe for another person, it was crazy. Even my brother was saying 'Be careful' when we were out in the car."
The players' paths have rarely crossed since they left England, Suarez at the Nou Camp and Evra onto Juventus in Italy, where he was again the target for racist abuse.
Evra, who won the 2008 Champions League final at United, said: "I don't know if Suarez is a racist. I don't know his family. I don't know his background.
"But racism is so big for so many years and that day, there was racist abuse.
"So when we went to the hearing, they listened to me because I said I didn't want them to punish him and I don't know him close enough to say he is racist but he used that racist word.
"I don't even know if he is a good person. We had one episode. At that time, I wouldn't have gone on holiday with him but I can't hate him."
With racism rearing its ugly head again in English football, Evra stills says he was more scarred by his time in Turin.
He said: "I have played in Italy, too, and they have thrown bananas and made monkey noises.
"When you are strong inside, these things don't touch you. They make you stronger. In my life, I go through many things and you can't hurt me with monkey noises or bananas.
"We are living in 2019. It will start to be like a habit and that is really bad. We can talk about terrorism and when a bomb is somewhere, we just say, 'Oh, another one'.
"We won't be in shock because of the society we live in. Everything is a habit. But I worry that something really big will happen and that is why we have to stop it."
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