Luis Suarez

Luis Alberto Suarez Díaz, commonly known as Luis Suarez, is a Uruguay international football player who currently features for Brazilian club Gremio.

He plays as a striker and is rated as one of the best forwards in the world. He is also a controversial figure, accused of diving and known for three separate biting incidents during games, leading to labels of being a dirty player.

Club Career

Suarez commenced his professional club football career at Uruguayan giants Nacional and played for them for the 2005-06 season, scoring 10 goals in 27 league appearances and winning the Primera Division title.

He moved to Dutch club FC Groningen in 2006 and scored 10 goals in 29 league matches, earning a move to Ajax in 2007. Suarez played for the Eredivisie powerhouse until 2011, establishing himself as one of the best forward in the world. However there was controversy when he was caught biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal and banned for seven games.

Suarez won the KNVB Cup with Ajax in 2009-10 and scored 81 goals in 110 league matches before joining Liverpool in January 2011 for £22.8 million. He soon became an instant hit at Anfield and won the the League Cup with the Reds in 2011-12 and the league's Golden Boot award in 2013-14 when the Reds came close to the title. He had another biting incident at Liverpool against Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic leading to a 10-game suspension.

He moved to FC Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014, shortly after his controversial third biting incident at the 2014 World Cup against Italy's Giorgio Chiellini.

Suarez spent six years at Barcelona, scoring 198 goals in 283 appearances, winning four La Liga titles, four Copa del Reys and one UEFA Champions League, before agreeing to join Atletico Madrid in September 2020. He helped Atleti win the 2020-21 La Liga title.

In July 2022, he left Atletico for Nacional in his homeland. He was Man of the Match in the Championships finals as Nacional were crowned 2022 Uruguayan Primera Division champions.

Suarez's second stint with Nacional lasted less than six months, joining Gremio in December 2022 on a two-year deal. Suarez battled knee issues during his time at Gremio, leading to speculation he may retire. Suarez was subsequently shortened to a one-year deal.

International Career

Suarez made his international debut for Uruguay on February 8, 2007 against Colombia in a 3-2 victory and was sent off in the 85th minute. He played for Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup finals and helped them reach the semi-finals. One year later Suarez won the Copa America and was named as the most valuable player of the competition.

At the 2014 World Cup, Suarez courted controversy when he bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in their third group game. Suarez wasn't penalised for the offence by the referee as Uruguay went on to win 1-0 and progress to the knockout stages. However, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee stepped in and banned Suarez for nine international matches. He missed the 2015 Copa America too.

He was part of Uruguay's squad which made the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals, scoring the winner against Saudi Arabia in his 100th cap. He was also part of Uruguay's 2022 World Cup squad which was eliminated in the group stage.