Luis Suárez

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Suárez began his senior club career at Uruguayan club Nacional in 2005. He signed with Groningen the following year before transferring to Ajax in 2007. There, he won the Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup. In 2011, Suárez signed with Premier League club Liverpool, and won the League Cup in his first full season. In 2013–14, his final season with the club, he equalled the goalscoring record of 31 goals for a 38-game Premier League season, with Liverpool finishing just two points behind Manchester City in the title race. That summer, Barcelona signed Suárez for a fee of £65 million (€82.3 million adjusted for inflation), making him one of the most expensive players. At Barcelona, Suárez was part of a dominant attacking trio dubbed MSN, alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar. He won the treble in his first season and was the most prolific player in Europe in his second season, scoring 59 goals in 53 matches as Barcelona won the double. He was also the first player ever to simultaneously lead La Liga in goals and assists. In 2020, he signed with Atlético Madrid, where he was awarded the best player in La Liga as Atlético won La Liga in his debut season. Suárez returned to Nacional in 2022 before relocating to Brazilian club Grêmio in the following year, where he was awarded the best player in Série A. In 2024, he joined Inter Miami and won the MLS Cup in his second season. At the international level, Suárez is Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer and formerly the highest goalscorer in CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifiers before being surpassed by Messi. He has represented his nation at four editions of the FIFA World Cup and five editions of the Copa América, as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was named to the 2010 World Cup All-Star Team and won the 2011 Copa América, where he was awarded Best Player. Suárez has been the subject of many career controversies, including a goal-line handball clearance against Ghana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, biting opponents on three occasions, accusations of diving, racist incidents, and spitting incidents.

In Their Own Story

In the 1974 European Cup Final, the rain-soaked pitch in Brussels mirrored the tension. Aragonés, known for his powerful free kicks, stepped up in extra time. The ball flew past the Bayern Munich wall and into the net, giving Atlético a 1–0 lead with only minutes left. The crowd roared, believing victory was secured. But in the 119th minute, Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised, forcing a replay. Two days later, Bayern won 4–0. Aragonés retired soon after and was appointed Atlético coach in the same year. He later led Spain to their second European Championship title in 2008, employing tiki-taka, a system of short passing that became the biggest football revolution in the history of Spanish football.

Reader's Guide

Suárez lived his early years at the Cerro neighbourhood in Salto, where he played youth football at Sportivo Artigas. At age seven, he moved with his family (parents and six brothers) to Montevideo, where he played youth football at Urreta. When he was a child, a car ran over his foot, breaking the fifth metatarsal bone. In spite of the injuries, he continued to play. Suárez joined local side Nacional's youth team at age 14. At age 16, Suárez headbutted a referee after showing his discontent following a red card, although a sports editor claimed he 'accidentally fell into the referee'. One night, he was caught drinking and partying, prompting his coach to threaten he would never play unless he started playing football more seriously. In May 2005, at age 18, Suárez made his first-team debut against Atlético Junior in the Copa Libertadores. He scored his first goal in September 2005 and helped Nacional win the 2005–06 Uruguayan league with 10 goals in 27 matches. Suárez was found by a group of scouts from the Dutch club Groningen when they were in Uruguay to scout another player. As they watched, he won and converted a penalty and scored a 'wonder goal' against Defensor. After watching only that match, the scouts approached Suárez and said they wanted to buy him, and after the season, Groningen paid Nacional €800,000 for him. Suárez was thrilled to go to Europe because his then girlfriend, and now wife, Sofía Balbi, had moved to Barcelona; they had maintained a long-distance relationship for a year and he wanted to move closer to her. Suárez was 19 years old when he joined Groningen. Initially, Suárez struggled because he could not speak Dutch or English, and he played on the second team to adjust to the Dutch game. His teammate and fellow Uruguayan, Bruno Silva, and his teammate Rùfson, helped him settle into living in the Netherlands and playing for a new team. He worked hard to learn Dutch and his teammates respected him for his efforts with the language. Suárez scored goals for Groningen, but he also had disciplinary problems; in one five-game stretch in January 2007, he scored four goals but received three yellow cards and one red card. Suárez especially made his mark in a 4–3 home win over Vitesse, when with ten minutes to go he subsequently won a penalty and scored two goals. Suárez ended with 10 goals in 29 league appearances to help Groningen finish e

Did You Know?

• Suárez is Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer.
• He was the first player ever to simultaneously lead La Liga in goals and assists.
• Suárez scored 49 goals in all competitions in the 2009–10 season for Ajax.
• He was named Ajax Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons.