Striker Luis Suárez, an iconic figure in Uruguayan football, will play his final match for the national team this Friday. The emotional announcement came as Suárez declared he would bring to a close his remarkable 17-year international career after participating in the World Cup qualifier against Paraguay at the Centenario Stadium.
“It hurts to say it, but Friday will be my last match with my country’s national team,” Suárez announced tearfully at a press conference late Monday. “I am retiring because I want to step aside. I am 37 years old, there are a lot of talented players, and I know it would be difficult to get to the next World Cup.”
La Celeste’s all-time leading scorer, Suárez debuted in 2007 and has since amassed an unparalleled 69 goals in 142 appearances for Uruguay. Throughout his tenure, Suárez became an emblem of Uruguayan football, participating in four World Cups and five Copa America tournaments.
The striker’s career highlights are numerous, one of the most resounding being his contribution to Uruguay’s triumph at the 2011 Copa America. Suárez scored twice in the semifinals and netted the decisive goal in the final, earning the ‘Player of the Tournament’ title.
Reflecting on his storied career, Suárez remarked, “It is comforting to know I can retire on my terms and not have to retire due to injuries, or to not being called up. I want to say goodbye here, with my people. This is the ideal moment.”
Even as he approaches his final match, the 37-year-old Suárez expressed his determination to deliver a memorable performance. “It’s very difficult, but I want to be relaxed when I play my last game with the national team. I will be just as excited as I was for my first national team appearance in 2007 when I was a 19-year-old kid. Now, I am a veteran, an older player, whatever you want to call it, with an incredible history with the national team and I will give my life for the team on Friday.”
While Suárez’s career has been filled with moments of triumph, it has not been without controversy.
. During the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, Suárez famously used his hand to prevent Ghana from scoring an extra-time winner, receiving a red card. Ghana missed the resultant penalty, and Uruguay subsequently triumphed in the penalty shootout to reach the semifinals for the first time in 40 years. Suárez was hailed as a hero in Uruguay but reviled elsewhere.
However, it was the 2014 World Cup that saw Suárez embroiled in one of the most infamous incidents of his career. During a group match against Italy, he bit defender Giorgio Chiellini, which led to a significant backlash and his third of four career biting incidents. FIFA banned Suárez for nine games— the longest ban in World Cup history—forcing him to miss the remainder of the tournament and the 2015 Copa America.
“My fear has always been that my lasting image for my children and all Uruguayan fans would be of 2014,” Suárez confessed. “I have gotten past that. And, I hope the people have also forgotten and they are left with all the great moments I lived in our stadium, with all the things our team accomplished, in Copas America, in World Cups.”
Despite the ups and downs, Suárez’s impact on the game is undeniable. He reached his 100th cap at the 2018 World Cup and was twice named man of the match as Uruguay advanced to the quarter-finals. In the following World Cup in 2022, however, Uruguay failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Looking ahead, Suárez plans to continue his club career with Inter Miami, having previously stated that it would be his final club. His career has been decorated with stints at some of the world’s top clubs, including Barcelona, Liverpool, Ajax, and Atletico Madrid.
The stage is set for a poignant farewell at Centenario Stadium, where Suárez will don the blue and white jersey one last time. It promises to be an emotional evening for a player who has given his all for La Celeste, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate through the annals of Uruguayan football history.
