Uruguayan football legend Luis Suarez has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 37. The former Liverpool and Barcelona striker revealed that his final match for Uruguay will be the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo.
In an emotional press conference, Suarez stated, “Friday will be my last match for my country. It was not an easy decision to make, but I do it with the peace of mind that I will give my maximum until the very last game of my (Uruguay) career.”
Suarez retires as Uruguay’s all-time top scorer, with 69 goals in 142 appearances since his debut in February 2007 against Colombia. Throughout his illustrious career, Suarez represented Uruguay in nine major international tournaments, including the 2011 Copa America, which Uruguay won. He scored four goals in that tournament, including two in the semi-finals and one in the final, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.
Suarez’s most recent appearance for Uruguay was in the 2024 Copa America third-place play-off against Canada, where he scored a crucial equalizer and converted a penalty in the shootout. He was not included in the squad for Uruguay’s recent friendly against Guatemala.
Suarez’s international career was marked by his significant contributions and some controversies. He was sent off in his World Cup debut in 2010 and played a crucial role in Uruguay’s quarter-final run that year, famously blocking a goal-bound effort with his hand against Ghana. He was later involved in incidents such as his biting of Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup, which led to a nine-game ban.
Suarez’s retirement marks the end of a remarkable international career that has seen him become one of the greatest strikers of his generation.
