Luis Suárez bids farewell to Uruguayan soccer, announcing his retirement from the national team

Luis Suárez, Uruguay's all-time leading scorer, announced that he will play his last game for La Celeste this Friday against Paraguay in Montevideo, for the seventh matchday of the South American qualifiers for the North America-2026 World Cup.

"Friday will be my last game with my country's national team," the 37-year-old striker, considered one of the best strikers of the 21st century, said Monday night at a press conference, close to tears.

Uruguay and Paraguay will meet on Sept. 6 at 8:30 local time (11:30 pm GMT) at the Centenario Stadium, as the South American qualifiers for the World Cup to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico in two years' time resume this month.

Speculation about Suarez's retirementfrom the Charrúa squad began Sunday, when the Uruguayan Football Association called a press conference with the premise "Luis Suarez has something to tell you."

Dressed in a white shirt and blue jacket, the iconic 9 broke down several times as he confirmed his retirement, which he said he had "been analyzing" for some time and came to the conclusion that "it's the right time."

"It was not an easy decision, but it is with the tranquility that until the last game I will give my all," he assured, and promised that he will enter the field on Friday "with the same excitement" with which he began his career defending his team 17 years ago.

Suárez joined the Uruguayan national team in the era of Óscar Washington Tabárez (2006-2021) and became, along with Diego Forlán and Edinson Cavani, one of the icons of the golden generation that returned Uruguay to the elite group of world soccer.

With Uruguay, he has played 142 games and scored 69 goals, making him the top scorer in the history of the two-time world champion team.

"The most beautiful moment of my career"

Suárez made his debut for the Celeste on February 7, 2007 in a friendly against Colombia away in Cúcuta. Eight months later, on the first day of the qualifiers for South Africa 2010, he scored his first goal for Uruguay at the Centenario, opening the scoring in a 5-0 win over Bolivia.

Since then, Suárez played in four World Cups, including South Africa 2010, in which Uruguay finished fourth. He also played five Copa Americas, winning in 2011 in Argentina and finishing third in the recent 2024 edition in the United States.

"I wouldn't trade the Copa America title for anything," he said Monday, his voice cracking. "It was the most beautiful moment of my career. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Applauded for his passing prowess and precision finishing, the wide-smiling No. 9 is also famous for fighting tooth and nail for his national team, even at the cost of being controversial at times. 

In 2010 in South Africa, he blocked a ball with his hand that was headed into the net and was set to give Ghana the pass to the semifinals. He was sent off the field for his actions, but the Uruguayans ended up winning in the penalty shootout.

In 2014 in Brazil, he bit Italian Giorgio Chiellini in the shoulder. Unpunished, the Celeste team ended up winning the decisive match against Italy 1-0, although Suárez was later punished with a suspension of nine official matches and four months of disqualification from all football-related activity.

Born on January 24, 1987 in Salto, some 500 km northwest of Montevideo, Luis Suarez grew up in a humble family and moved as a child to the Uruguayan capital where he began his career with Nacional de Montevideo.

Currently forward of MLS side Inter Miami, Suarez has been married since 2009 to Uruguayan Sofia Balbi, his girlfriend since adolescence and mother of his three children. With her he processed the decision to leave, he said on Monday.