A bite, a saving hand save and a whole lot of goals: legendary Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez announced on Monday evening that he would play his last match with La Celeste on Friday against Paraguay, in his home country, at the age of 37.
“Friday, it pains me to say it, will be my last match with my country’s national team,” said the player, unanimously considered one of the best centre-forwards of the 21st century, at a press conference.
Cunning, explosive and combative, even totally excessive like the day he bit the Italian Giorgio Chiellini in the middle of a World Cup match in 2014, he will put away the sky blue Uruguay jersey after a final meeting in Montevideo, in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Rumours about his future have been rife since the Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) called a press conference with a title that left no room for doubt: “Luis Suarez has something to tell you”.
The “Pistolero” has cracked several times by confirming his departure. At the end of an “analysis” of the situation that took him some time, the emblematic N.9 considered that “it was the right time”.
He will retire as the Celeste’s top scorer, with 69 goals in 142 appearances, a mark he could improve on Friday night at the Centenario stadium in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
Goals that he celebrates with two fingers in the air, managing to propel the ball into the back of the net even from improbable angles, hence his nickname.
“The decision was not easy” to make, explained Suarez, promising to enter the field one last time “with the same enthusiasm” that has driven him since his debut with the national team 17 years ago.
“I can leave with serenity” because “I gave everything I had,” he continued, saying he was “proud” to be his country’s top scorer.
The former Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona and Liverpool player, among others, made his first steps in the national team under the leadership of coach Oscar Washington Tabarez (2006-2021), alongside the two other illustrious Uruguayan strikers of this century, Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani.
“I am grateful to the ‘Maestro’ Tabarez,” continued ‘Luisito’.
– Controversial talent –
Praised for his goal-scoring skills wherever he went, his attacking qualities were never in question, unlike his behaviour on the pitch.
The embodiment of the Uruguayan “garra”, the anger, a national value, the native of Salto has not lost his cool just once.
Before the Chiellini affair which earned him a suspension of several months, he had already bitten two opponents: Otman Bakkal in 2010 in the Dutch championship, when he played for Ajax Amsterdam, and Branislav Ivanovic in 2013 in the Premier League.
In 2011, while at Liverpool, he was banned for eight matches for using the Spanish word “negro” (black) when addressing Frenchman Patrice Evra in a Champions League match against Manchester United.
“I made mistakes,” the centre-forward admitted on Monday.
On a different note, in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup against Ghana, he stopped a header with his hand at close range, an action punished by a red card. An act of unsportsmanlike behaviour, but one that paid off, since the Ghanaians missed the penalty awarded and then lost on penalties.
Enough to become the most popular footballer in the small South American country, twice world champion.
On a purely sporting level, with the Uruguay jersey, Suarez can boast of a Copa America won in Argentina in 2011, a trophy that holds a special place in his heart.
“I wouldn’t trade the Copa America title for anything in the world,” said the current Inter Miami striker on Monday, where his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi also plays in MLS. “It was the best moment of my career.”
“For sure, I’m still going to complain today because I cried, even though I told myself not to cry, but it was impossible.”
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