September 3 – Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has announced his retirement from international football and will play his last match for the Celeste on Friday against Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier.
At a news conference, the 37-year-old striker and his country’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals from 142 appearances confirmed his retirement. Fighting back tears, he said: “I’ve been thinking about this and analysing this. I believe this is the right time.
“I want to be relaxed when I play my last game with the national team. I’ll be just as excited to play as I was in 2007 when I played for my national team for the first time.
“That 19-year-old kid is now a veteran player, an older player – however you want to call it – with an incredible history with the national team, that will give his life for the team.”
The striker featured in nine major tournaments for Uruguay. He won the Copa America in 2011 in Argentina, topping the goalscoring charts with four strikes.
His international career however will be largely remembered for two controversial moments in the World Cup. At the 2010 tournament in South Africa, he handled a ball on the line in the final minute of extra time to prevent Ghana from becoming the first-ever African country to reach the last four. He was sent off but Uruguay progressed from the penalty spot after Asamoah Gyan’s spot kick ricocheted off the bar. Ultimately, Uruguay finished third, their best result since the 1950 World Cup.
Four years later, Suarez grabbed the headlines again. His brace helped Uruguay defeat a lacklustre England, but he missed out on the knockout stage after receiving a four-month ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s final group game.
“We did go through difficult moments. There were many,” said Suarez. ”Personally, it was worse for me after my massive mistake in 2014. But there’s nothing that I would reproach.”
He also featured at the last two World Cups. On Friday, he will have the opportunity to wrap up his international career in style in front of his home crowd in Montevideo.
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