Suarez, a striker for Uruguay, has announced his retirement

Luis Suarez, a striker for Uruguay, declared his retirement from international competition on Monday, capping a 17-year career as the team’s best scorer with 69 goals.

With 142 caps for his nation, the 37-year-old made his debut on the international scene in 2007. He was a vital member of the team that advanced to the 2010 World Cup semifinals and won the Copa America the following year.

“This Friday will be my final game with my nation’s national team,” a tearful Suarez announced during a news conference.

The knowledge that I chose to retire and that it wasn’t due to an injury or that I stopped getting calls for various reasons makes me feel quite at ease and benefits me personally.

“It’s difficult but it gives me peace of mind that until the last game I have given my all, and that flame has not been extinguished little by little,” the forward stated.

Uruguay will play Paraguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Friday in the South American 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament. Four days later, Uruguay will play Venezuela.

Suarez stated that one of his goals was to demonstrate his ability to continue contributing to the national team. In July, Suarez scored the stoppage-time goal against Canada that sealed third place at the Copa America.

“My dream was for my children to see me win something important with the national team … that last goal was very nice for them and even though it wasn’t a trophy to take home, it was very nice for them,” he stated.

“After analyzing the situation, I decided to do it with my people in my stadium, even though I could have retired after winning the Copa America. I wanted to prove to people once more that I can still make a positive impact on the national team.”

“I wish for my kids to go through this. I don’t know how many people have actually said farewell to the folks here.”

After joining the Major League Soccer franchise last year to reunite with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, Suarez has already declared that Inter Miami will be his final club.