Luis Suárez

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.

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Did You Know?

• Suárez scored his first goal for Nacional in September 2005 and helped them win the 2005–06 Uruguayan league with 10 goals in 27 matches.
• He was named Ajax Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons (2008–09 and 2009–10) and Dutch Footballer of the Year in 2009–10.
• Suárez scored 49 goals in all competitions in the 2009–10 season, finishing as Eredivisie top scorer with 35 goals in 33 matches.
• He scored his 100th goal for Ajax in a 1–1 home draw against PAOK in a UEFA Champions League qualifier.