Each World Cup always creates a new cast of heroes and villains, but this year one man has perfectly encapsulated both sides.

Days after Luis Suarez ­effectively knocked England out with two ­opportunistic goals - undoubtedly one of the moments of the World Cup so far - he is back in the headlines, but the teeth marks he left in the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio ­Chiellini will have far darker reverberations throughout the soccer world.

The cannibal, vampire and assorted food puns that have been circulating online in the last day or so might be vaguely amusing if it wasn't for the fact that Suarez is clearly a deeply troubled, if talented, ­individual.

Not only has he now bitten three separate opponents on the field over the last four years, but his reaction in at least two of those incidents was to feign injury as if to pretend that he was the victim, not the perpetrator.

In an era when everything is photographed and filmed from all conceivable angles - and the video evidence later examined, when necessary - it is ludicrous to think that you can get away with something like this.

But that is the point: Suarez was not thinking. Whatever the trigger, he acts out of impulse and has now conclusively shown that he will continue to bite if given the chance.

Few outside of Uruguay are leaping to Suarez's defense, but those that do blame the ­media, especially the ­notoriously harsh contingent in the UK, where Suarez currently plays his club soccer. While Suarez is undoubtedly under intense scrutiny, few players have done more to bring that attention on themselves.

Even before playing in the English league, Suarez had bitten an opponent in the Dutch league just a few months after deliberately using his hand to prevent a certain goal at the 2010 World Cup. Some saw that handball and resulting red card as a selfless sacrifice for the team, since Uruguay - as they did against Italy on Tuesday - went on to win that match and progress to the next round; others, though, argued it was cheating of the worst kind by a man who is rotten to the core.

Despite having enough ­talent to sweep the various ­Player of the Year awards in England, it's hard to see why Suarez thinks he gets a rough ride from the press. Even so, he has managed to use his misguided paranoia to great ­effect, exacting revenge on England and their media with his goals last week, despite not being ­fully fit. Other players get just as much criticism as Suarez, but no one else deserves it more.

In the ancient Greek sport of pankration - the precursor to modern MMA - anything was permissible, except for biting and eye-gouging. Suarez, sadly, has done both. He's also racially abused a player, kicked another on the ground, and has a reputation second to none for going to ground himself under the slightest provocation (and sometimes not even that). But it is his biting that sets him apart.

It's a condition that usually afflicts toddlers, a stage many go through before coming out on the other side more equipped to deal with their emotions. But for some - and Mike Tyson is another obvious example - those emotions keep bubbling away just under the surface.

Given the impulsive nature of his actions, it would appear that Suarez has an underlying mental issue that needs to be treated, though that does not exonerate him from his actions. But until his behavior can be permanently reformed, he has no place in the sporting arena - even if he is wearing a gum shield.