MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay football legend Luis Suarez announced his retirement from international football on Monday, stating that his final match will be Friday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo. The 37-year-old expressed his decision with mixed emotions, emphasizing that he will give his all in his last appearance for Uruguay.

Suarez, known for his remarkable career at clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool, will retire as Uruguay’s top scorer with 69 goals in 142 appearances. Despite his controversies, including being banned from the 2014 World Cup for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, Suarez is celebrated as one of the greatest players of his generation.

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Debuting for Uruguay in 2007, Suarez played a crucial role in the country’s 2011 Copa America triumph, where he was named player of the tournament. He fondly recalled this victory as the highlight of his career, stating that he wouldn’t trade the Copa America title for anything.

Throughout his career, Suarez was no stranger to controversy. Besides the 2014 World Cup incident, he was also involved in a notorious handball during the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals against Ghana, which allowed Uruguay to advance after Ghana missed the resulting penalty.

Suarez’s club career was equally eventful, marked by an eight-game ban in 2011 for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Despite these controversies, his contributions to football have left an indelible mark on the sport.