Following his emotional announcement of his retirement from international football at a press conference held at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Luis Suarez will play his final game for Uruguay.
Suarez confirmed that he will leave the national team following Friday’s World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay and that he will approach the game with the same intensity that he displayed in his debut for his country.
After joining the Major League Soccer team last year, the player said that Inter Miami would be his final club. He would play alongside his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.
The Liverpool player Suarez said he is proud of being able to retire when it is convenient for him.
“There is no better pride in oneself than knowing when the right moment to retire is, and luckily I am confident that I am retiring from the national team because I want to take a step aside.”
“The fact that is my decision to retire and that I’m not retired because of injuries or that they stop calling me for one thing or another, that gives me a lot of comfort; it helps me individually.
“It is very helpful to want to take that step aside and feel ready. It is difficult because the decision was not easy. But I go with the peace of mind that until the last game I gave my all and that the flame did not burn out slowly, and that is why I made the decision that it should be now.”
Suarez participated in four World Cups and was named the best player of the competition after winning the Copa America in 2011. He has 69 goals and 39 assists in 142 games, making him the top scorer in the nation.
In July, during the Copa America, Suarez scored a goal in stoppage time against Canada to secure third place. The striker went on to say that one of his goals was to demonstrate his ability to continue to contribute to the national team.
“My dream was for my children to see me win something important with the national team… that last goal was very nice for them, and even though it wasn’t a trophy to take home, it was very nice for them,” he said.
“I wanted to show people again that I can continue to contribute to the national team, and, well, I had the Copa America, and yes, I could have done it (retired) perfectly after that, but having analyzed the situation, I want to do it with my people in my stadium.
“I want my children to live this experience. Saying goodbye to the people here is something that I don’t know if many have done.”
Suarez made his Uruguayan debut in 2007. He was notoriously sent off from the 2014 World Cup after receiving a four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini of Italy. He was one of the villains of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as well, after his cynical handball on the goal line denied Ghana a late winner in the quarterfinals. After Asamoah Gyan, the former striker for Sunderland, missed the ensuing penalty kick, Uruguay won the penalty shootout and advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in forty years.
Uruguay will play Paraguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Friday in the South American 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament. Four days later, Uruguay will play Venezuela.
[…] to a goalless draw with Paraguay, ending Suarez’s 17-year career with the team. Luis Suarez announced his retirement from international competition on Monday. Having scored 69 goals in 143 games since […]