Historic striker Luis Suárez announced his retirement from the Uruguay national team at the age of 37 on Monday in an emotional press conference at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
“It’s difficult for me to say, but Friday will be my last match with my country’s national team,” the Celeste’s top scorer said, crying.
His last official match will be next Friday, when Uruguay hosts Paraguay at the Centenario Stadium for a 2026 World Cup qualifier. Afterwards, La Celeste will travel to Venezuela for the second match of this double FIFA date, which will be played on Tuesday, September 10, at the Monumental Stadium in Maturín.
Suárez, who scored 69 goals for Uruguay, said his retirement from the national team is “something I’ve been thinking about” and that he has his reasons for it. “It’s difficult, but it’s time,” he stressed.
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“I am 37 years old, and I am aware that qualifying for the next World Cup is extremely challenging,” he stated. It is a great relief to me that I am retiring rather than being injured.” He made it clear, though, that he is leaving the national team but not the NFL because he wants to “enjoy the playing field for a little while longer”.
After Darwin Nunez’s penalty, Suarez is almost certainly going to be in coach Marcelo Bielsa’s starting lineup for the match against Paraguay. The Copa America semi-final loss to Colombia has resulted in a suspension for the Liverpool striker, Ronald Araújo, Mathias Oliveira, José Maria Jiménez, and Rodrigo Bentancur by CONMEBOL. The striker is a vital player for Bielsa.
If that’s the case, Suarez promised that he’ll keep playing with the same “enthusiasm” and effort that he displayed on his 2007 senior squad debut.
“I can play my last match with the national team with peace of mind, I will play with the same enthusiasm and the same desire that I had when I was playing as a kid at 19,” he stated.
The striker emphasized that he is departing with “peace of mind” since he has given his best for his national team. He often interrupted the news conference to cry.
“I have nothing to blame at any time and I want to thank every single Uruguayan fan,” he continued.
At 37, ‘Lucho’ has played a total of 142 matches for the Celeste, scoring 69 goals and providing 39 assists. Since his debut with the senior team on February 7, 2007, Suárez has participated in five qualifying processes, four World Cups and five Copa América, of which he was crowned champion in 2011 and voted best player.
In his football career, the current striker, who is having a great moment at Inter Miami, has had a successful stint at Barcelona between 2014 and 2020, in addition to having also played in the ranks of the Dutch Ajax (2007-2011), the English Liverpool (2011-2014), Atlético de Madrid (2020-2022) and the Brazilian Grêmio (2023-2024).
He added, “I hope people remember all the great moments they had at my stadium” and “they remember Luis Suárez who was a generous player and today has the honour and privilege of being the top scorer in this country.”
