(Montevideo) Legendary Uruguay striker Luis Suarez had a frustrating last appearance in Montevideo on Friday, with a 0-0 draw against Paraguay in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The “Pistolero” puts away the sky blue jersey at the head of a trifle of 69 goals in 143 caps, enough to retire, at 37 years old, as the best scorer in the history of the Celeste.
“Thank you for everything, ‘Lucho’!”, “You were and will remain my eternal idol”, “You are unique and incomparable”: the farewell messages were numerous in the Centenario stadium, where more than 60,000 spectators had gathered.
“A hat-trick!” hoped one of them, Rodrigo Tabeira, 16, before kick-off.
“I’m happy. I want to see him celebrate a goal,” said 11-year-old Lorenzo Buceta.
Suárez ultimately failed to reach the 70-goal mark in a match marked by 24 fouls and punctuated by just one shot on target from the Uruguayan side.
He himself missed an opportunity at 18ehis shot hitting the post.
His 17-year international career was marked by a Copa America victory in 2011 in Argentina, but also by controversy.
PHOTO DANTE FERNANDEZ, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez next to his wife Sofia Balbi (left) and children Delfina, Lautaro and Benjamin.
As combative as he is eruptive, he notably stopped a header at close range against Ghana in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, contributing to his team’s qualification despite an inevitable red card for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the middle of a match at the 2014 World Cup, he bit the Italian Giorgio Chiellini, receiving a suspension of several months.
“Referee, don’t blow the final whistle,” supporters demanded before the game even started, refusing to see the icon of an entire country leave.
“He is a very important person for football, not only in Uruguay, but also in the world,” says Natalia Roman, a member of the stadium’s security detail. “I feel moved.”
Asked at a press conference about Suarez’s international retirement, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said the decision of the Inter Miami striker in MLS was “completely understandable”.
“I can’t give grades, but [je peux exprimer] “A great recognition towards a “crack” and a player who will remain in the history of football,” he said.
With this single point gleaned for the last of its hero, Uruguay (14 points) is still second, behind the Argentinians (18), in these South American zone qualifiers. Colombia could not do better than the draw against Peru (1-1) and remains third, one point behind the Celeste.