Striker Luis Suarez joined Inter Miami on a one-year contract, to reunite close friend Lionel Messi.
Suarez, Messi will join Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to reunite part of the Barca framework four times to win La Liga, winning a Champions League title in 2014-2020. They will play together for Miami 2024 season, in MLS, US Open Cup, North American C1 Cup and Leagues Cup.
Luis Suarez (right) and Messi in Barca shirt meet Real Sociedad on Camp Nou in La Liga on November 24, 2016. Photo: Reuters
To pick up Suarez, Miami broke up with striker Josef Martinez after the 2023 season ended. Their crafts will have Messi, Suarez, Leonardo Campana, Facundo Farias, Robert Taylor, Robbie Robinson and young players.
In 2023, Suarez played prominently for Gremio at the Brazilian Championship at the age of 36, when he scored 24 goals, creating 17 times in 52 matches. However, he is still struggling with a knee injury so he may not play every game for Miami.
“Those who see me live everyday, will think I can’t play football anymore,” Suarez said on December 18. “My first steps every morning woke up very painful, because my knee cartilage was hurt and touched the bone. I can’t even play with my kids. Before each match I had to take three pills and get pain relief”.
Despite the pain, Suarez still wanted to play with Messi for the last time, before retiring. Not only are teammates on the field, these two players are also close friends, often meeting on holidays. Before wearing a Barca shirt, Suarez also shone with Ajax or Liverpool.
Suarez waved from Gremio fans at Salgado Filho International Airport, Porto Alegre, Brazil before boarding a plane to Uruguay on December 8. Photo: Reuters
Suarez is 36 years old, mature from CLB Nacional in Uruguay. He went to Europe to play for Groningen in the Netherlands for just one season, before being picked up by Ajax. Suarez joined Liverpool at the age of 24, scoring 82 goals in 133 matches. His performance at Barca was equally impressive, with 198 goals in 283 matches. Before joining Gremio, he played short for Atletico Madrid and Nacional.
