Suárez, Luis (1987-…), is a Uruguayan professional soccer player. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Suárez plays for the Uruguayan national team, commonly known as La Celeste (The Sky Blue). Suárez is considered one of the game’s best players. However, he also has a reputation as a somewhat “dirty” player willing to break the rules. A striker, Suárez is known for his powerful shooting and aerial skills. In soccer, a striker is an inside forward primarily responsible for scoring. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials).
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz was born on Jan. 24, 1987, in Salto, Uruguay’s second largest city. His family moved to Montevideo, the capital, where young Luis played soccer in the streets. He soon joined the youth team of Nacional, based in Montevideo.
Suárez played his debut match for Nacional’s first team in 2005. In 2006, he helped Nacional win the Uruguayan league championship. Later that year, he signed with FC Groningen in the Netherlands. In 2007, Suárez debuted for the Uruguayan national team. Later that year, Amsterdam’s FC Ajax, an important Dutch team, purchased his contract. FC stands for football club.
Suárez thrived at Ajax, becoming one of the club’s leading scorers. In 2009, he was named Ajax team captain. In 2010, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. That summer, Suárez scored three goals for Uruguay during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. During the World Cup, Suárez drew attention for a controversial handball that allowed Uruguay to defeat Ghana in the quarterfinals. A handball occurs when a player other than the goalkeeper illegally touches the ball with the hands or arms.
Back in the Netherlands, Suárez continued his excellent play. But in November 2010, he was suspended for biting an opposing player. In early 2011, Suárez transferred to England’s Liverpool FC. That October, he was suspended for racially abusing an opposing player. In 2013, he was again suspended for biting. Suárez has also been accused of hitting and kicking opponents, as well as habitually diving. In soccer, diving involves intentionally falling in an attempt to draw a penalty on the opposing team.
In 2014, Suárez led the English Premier League in goals and was named Player of the Season. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, however, he was again suspended for biting an opponent. Suárez then signed a new contract to play for FC Barcelona. He played for Uruguay in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In 2020, Suárez transferred to Atlético Madrid. In 2022, he returned to Nacional. Later in 2022, after Nacional’s season ended, Suárez signed to play for Gremio, a club in Brazil. In 2023, he signed with Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer in the United States. CF stands for Club de Fútbol (football club).
