Luis Suarez suggested that he could now be close to retirement. It’s after the former Liverpool striker played his last game for Brazilian outfit Gremio on Sunday evening. The 36-year-old Urugayuan international announced his departure from the club last week. He is now a free agent. Suarez went out in typical style, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win against Vasco da Gama.
He has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, where he would be reunited with his former Barcelona teammate and close friend Lionel Messi. But comments from Suarez himself suggest that he could be at the end of the road when it comes to playing professional football.
Luis Suarez to retire from professional football:
Suarez said:
“I can feel pain, my body is speaking for me. Also I want to enjoy and then decide for myself after a long career. I need to rest, enjoy my family… then the destiny will know where I’ll be in the future.”
Suarez received a big send-off from both his teammates and supporters on Sunday, in a packed-out stadium. The forward was joined on the pitch by his children – sons Benjamin and Lauti and daughter Delfina – where he received a hero’s farewell.
The veteran scored 27 goals in 52 appearances during his time at Gremio, leaving manager Renato Gaucho admitting that the Urugyuan would be difficult to replace.
Speaking after the match on Sunday, Gaucho said:
“Are we going to miss him? Certainly, without a doubt, he is very loved by everyone. I had the pleasure of working with a great professional, one of the best in the world, fourth highest scorer in the world. This void will remain for the next year. Because it’s not easy to find someone of his talent and ability.
Suarez scored 82 goals in just 132 appearances and led the Reds to the brink of their first league title in 24 years in 2014, just falling short at the final hurdle. However, that did not stop him from winning both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year awards.
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