Luis Suarez announces heartfelt farewell to Uruguay national team
The goal-scoring striker has played for the Uruguay national team since 2007. After 17 years, he announced the upcoming end of his career with the national team. Luis Suarez conveyed this with difficulty at a press conference.
Luis Suarez is the most effective player in the Uruguay national team's history. Since his debut in 2007, he has scored 68 goals for them. The biggest success for Celeste, with Luis Suarez in the lineup, was winning the Copa America in 2011. Meanwhile, the Uruguay national team won bronze medals in this year's Copa America tournament.
Already last year, plagued by injuries, Luis Suarez slowly withdrew from international football. This week, it became clear that in 2024, the 37-year-old player will play his last match for Uruguay.
The special event will occur on 7 September at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Uruguay will face Paraguay, and the stakes of the match will be points in the World Cup qualifiers. Surely, Luis Suarez will remember his farewell match for a long time. Already a few days before it, the striker is overwhelmed with emotions.
Luis Suarez was deeply moved at the press conference. He struggled to hold back his emotions when he confirmed that he was saying goodbye to the Uruguay national team. Tears appeared in the player's eyes.
It hurts to say it, but Friday will be my last match with my country’s national team. 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. 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," said Luis Suarez.
The striker represented Uruguay in four World Cups. He admitted that it would be difficult for him to make it to the next World Cup, which will be held in 2026. He will focus on playing for Inter Miami, where he plays alongside his friend Lionel Messi.
