Uruguay football legend Luis Suarez announced his retirement from international football on Monday. He confirmed that Friday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo will be his final match for the national team.
"Friday will be my last game for my country," the 37-year-old Suarez said emotionally during a press conference. "It was a tough decision, but I’m at peace knowing I’ll give everything in my last match for Uruguay."
Suarez, known for his time with Barcelona and Liverpool, is widely recognized as one of the greatest players of his generation. He will retire as Uruguay’s all-time top scorer, with 69 goals in 142 appearances. His international career, which began in 2007, included some controversial moments, such as his four-month ban from the 2014 World Cup for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini.
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The Inter Miami forward played a key role in Uruguay's victory at the 2011 Copa America, where he was named the tournament's best player. He represented his country in nine major tournaments, including the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Reflecting on his career, Suarez highlighted the Copa America triumph as his proudest achievement. "I wouldn’t trade the Copa America title for anything," he said. "It was the best moment of my career."
Throughout his career, Suarez was a dynamic and skilled attacker with a sharp eye for goal, though he was never far from controversy. Along with the 2014 biting incident, he also sparked outrage at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when he deliberately handled the ball on the goal-line to deny Ghana a last-minute winner in the quarter-finals. Uruguay eventually advanced after Ghana missed the resulting penalty.
His club career also had its controversies, including an eight-game ban in 2011 for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
Suarez’s international journey concludes with his participation in this summer’s Copa America, where he largely played as a substitute under coach Marcelo Bielsa. He scored his final international goal in a third-place play-off victory over Canada.
