Luis Suarez decides to hang up his boots with Uruguay

At a press conference on Monday, Luis Suárez declared his retirement from the Uruguay national team. He stated that he will stop playing for his country following Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

With 69 goals in 142 games over 17 years, the former Barcelona and Liverpool player, who is currently with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer, leaves as Uruguay’s all-time top scorer.

“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,” an emotional Suarez told a news conference Monday. “I am 37 years old and I know that it is very difficult to get to the next World Cup. It comforts me a lot that I can retire and not for my injuries to retire me, or to stop being called up.

“For me individually, it is very helpful for me 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.”

In a 3-1 victory over Colombia on February 7, 2007, Suárez made his senior debut for Uruguay and quickly established himself as a key member of the team. By 2010, he has participated in 19 out of the 20 World Cup qualifying games, earning La Celeste a spot in the South African competition.

The attacker started five of Uruguay’s six World Cup games and was a key player in his first of four World Cups. Suarez made a historic handball in the closing seconds of the quarterfinal matchup against Ghana, which allowed Ghana to win the match via penalty kicks. Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty shot, and Uruguay won the match in a penalty shootout to progress to the semifinals even though Suárez was sent off.

Since then, he has played in three more World Cups (in 2014, 2018, and 2022) and the Copa Américas (in 2011, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024).

In the 2011 Copa América final, the attacker opened the score in the 3-0 victory over Paraguay, setting up the country for its 15th major tournament victory. He finished that year with four goals and two assists to win the tournament MVP award.

“I was lucky to win many titles in my career, but I would not change the Copa América title for anything in the world,” Suarez added. “That Copa América trophy in 2011 was the most beautiful moment I experienced in my career as a professional player. I would not change it for anything and look, I won a lot of other things.”

His most recent appearance for his country was in the 2024 Copa América third-place match against Canada, which he helped his team win with a penalty kick in the shootout.

Prior to the 2024 MLS season, Suárez signed with the elite Miami team that included Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Since then, he has thrived for the leaders of the Supporters’ Shield. In Miami’s most recent match, a 4-1 victory over Chicago Fire FC, he scored twice, raising his season total to 16.