Suarez Goodbye Suarez will retire from the Uruguay national team

Uruguayan football star Luis Suarez announced at a press conference today that he will officially hang up his national team jersey after the World Cup qualifier match against Paraguay in Montevideo on the 6th.

The 37-year-old Suarez, visibly emotional during the event, stated, “Friday will be my last game representing my country.”

He reflected on the decision: “It wasn’t easy to make this choice, but I am at peace with it. I will give my all until my final match with the Uruguayan national team.”

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Suarez will leave international football as Uruguay’s top scorer, having netted 69 goals in 142 appearances.

Suarez made his debut for Uruguay in 2007 and faced a significant setback in his career when he was banned for four months for biting Italian player Giorgio Chiellini, which also led to his ejection from the 2014 World Cup.

The former Inter Miami forward played a crucial role in helping Uruguay win the Copa America in 2011, where he was named the tournament’s best player. In total, he has participated in nine major international tournaments.

Highlighting the pinnacle of his career, Suarez stated that winning the Copa America was his happiest moment in football. “I wouldn’t trade that championship for anything. It is the best moment of my life as a footballer,” he emphasized.

Suarez is known for his vibrant playing style and technical finesse, possessing a keen and lethal eye for goal. However, he has often found himself embroiled in controversy.

Apart from the biting incident that sidelined him from the 2014 World Cup, he was also labeled a villain during the 2010 South Africa World Cup when he infamously handled the ball on the goal line to deny a Ghana goal, resulting in a red card. Ghana missed the subsequent penalty, and Uruguay advanced to the semifinals after a shootout.

Most recently, Suarez helped Uruguay qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and he made a substitute appearance in this summer’s Copa America, where Uruguay secured third place against Canada – marking his 69th goal for the national team in that match.