How will Luis Suárez be remembered amongst Europe’s best strikers?

With the news revealed that Luis Suárez will be re-joining boyhood side Club Nacional, the curtain closes on the Uruguayan’s chapter in Europe. He’ll be fondly remembered for spells with Liverpool, Barcelona and more recently Atlético Madrid, who he won La Liga with in his debut season. But at 35 years old, and a plethora of trophies and everlasting memories to look back on, Suárez has called time on his journey in Europe, going down as possibly the best number nine of his generation.

It’s hard not to just sit back in awe of the brilliance of Suárez. A player for the aficionados, one could simply eulogise over his elegant footwork — feet as sensitive as a pickpocket’s fingers — and the devastation of his finishing touch. El Pistolero – the gunslinger of Montevideo. As capable of embarrassing a defender with a nutmeg as he was rifling the ball into the top corner and wheeling away with that iconic celebration.

Having forged a career in Europe with Groningen and Ajax in the Netherlands, Suárez rose to prominence internationally when, at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he broke Ghanian hearts after blocking a goal-bound shot off the line, then celebrated Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty having been sent off. It showed how much he wanted to win and how committed he was going to be for whoever he represented.

Another strong start to the Eredivisie campaign saw Suárez earn a move to Liverpool, replacing the outgoing Fernando Torres who completed a then record move to Chelsea for £50 million. The Uruguayan made up for the shortcomings of both the Spaniard and Andy Carroll in front of goal at Anfield, firing 82 goals in a three-and-a-half-year stay on Merseyside in which the Reds almost clinched the title, something the football odds today would never predict given the mediocrity which overshadowed the rest of the squad.

Indeed, the 2013-14 season proved to be one of the best individual seasons in the league’s history. 31 goals without any penalties could have been even higher had he not been caught up in controversy. Suárez was no role model and while he was banned for eight games after allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra, the five he missed at the start of the season were for biting Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanović.

His third biting incident, this time on Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup proved the last straw and although Liverpool would have loved to keep him, Suárez completed a move to Barcelona for £72 million later that summer. Unavailable until October, he quickly burst onto the scene in Catalonia, with the trio of himself, Neymar and Lionel Messi perhaps the deadliest of all time.

“Years ago there was just one crack in a team [in attack] and all we heard was that there was only room for one per side,” former manager Luis Enrique said. “Let’s enjoy them. They might just be the best forward line in the world.”

Although things ended up on bad terms with the Uruguayan and Ronald Koeman, there was a solid five-year period where Suárez was the best striker on the planet alongside Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema. He hit 40 league goals to win the Pichichi award in 2016, adding to his Champions League, three league titles and several domestic trophies in Spain. While the club’s financial situation prevented him from staying at the Nou Camp any longer in 2020, he joined Diego Simeone in Madrid and won the title, albeit behind closed doors in his maiden campaign.

When looking back at the career of Suárez you wonder if he got the recognition he deserved. With the third most assists in the history of the beautiful game, he will be a valuable asset to Nacional in the twilight of his time on the football pitch.

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