Youth Suárez lived his early years at the Cerro neighbourhood in
Salto, where he played youth football at Sportivo Artigas. At age seven, he moved with his family (parents and six brothers) to Montevideo, where he played youth football at Urreta. When he was a child, a car ran over his foot, breaking the
fifth metatarsal bone. In spite of the injury, he continued to play.
Nacional Suárez joined local side
Nacional's youth team at age 14. At age 16, Suárez
headbutted a referee after showing his discontent following a red card, although a sports editor claimed he "accidentally fell into the referee". One night, he was caught drinking and partying, prompting his coach to threaten he would never play unless he started playing football more seriously. and helped Nacional win the
2005–06 Uruguayan league with 10 goals in 27 matches. Suárez was found by a group of scouts from the Dutch club
Groningen when they were in Uruguay to scout another player. As they watched, he won and converted a penalty and scored a "wonder goal" against
Defensor. After watching only that match, the scouts approached Suárez and said they wanted to buy him, and after the season, Groningen paid Nacional €800,000 for him. His teammate and fellow Uruguayan,
Bruno Silva, and his teammate Rùfson, helped him settle into living in the Netherlands and playing for a new team. Suárez especially made his mark in a 4–3 home win over
Vitesse, when with ten minutes to go he subsequently won a penalty and scored two goals. Suárez ended with 10 goals in 29 league appearances to help Groningen finish eighth in the
2006–07 Eredivisie.
Ajax saw potential in Suárez and offered Groningen €3.5 million for him, but Groningen rejected the offer. Suárez was upset and brought his case to the
Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB)'s arbitration committee to try to facilitate the sale. and made his club debut in a
UEFA Champions League qualifier against
Slavia Prague. He scored one goal in his Eredivisie debut for the club and two goals in his home debut at the
Amsterdam Arena. Ajax finished second in the league table in the
2007–08 season and Suárez scored 17 goals in 33 league appearances, setting up a blossoming striking partnership with league top scorer
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. During the
2008–09 season, Ajax head coach
Marco van Basten noted how Suárez played an important role in many of Ajax's goals, but Van Basten was also upset by the number of yellow cards Suárez received. because he was given his seventh yellow card of the season against
Utrecht in a 2–0 win. He was also suspended after a half-time altercation with teammate
Albert Luque over a
free kick. Suárez scored 22 goals in 31 league matches
2009–10: League top goalscorer ) as Ajax
captain in 2010. Suárez was named captain in the 2009–10 season. Before the
2009–10 season,
Martin Jol replaced Van Basten as head coach. Suárez started scoring goals early in the season with a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against
RKC Waalwijk. He had a number of multiple-goal matches throughout the season, including four in wins over
Slovan Bratislava in the
UEFA Europe League play-off round,
VVV-Venlo and
Roda JC. He scored three in the first half in another win over VVV-Venlo and six against
WHC Wezep in the
KNVB Cup as Ajax won by a club-record margin of 14–1. Suárez scored two goals in the
second leg of the KNVB Cup final and finished as the tournament's top scorer. Ajax won the Cup final 6–1 on
aggregate over
Feyenoord, Suárez ended the season as the Eredivisie's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 matches, and had 49 goals in all competitions.
2010–11: First biting incident match against
Dynamo Kyiv in 2010 Soon after Suárez returned from his World Cup campaign, he scored his 100th goal for Ajax in a 1–1 home draw against
PAOK in a
UEFA Champions League qualifier. This put him in an elite group of players, including
Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and
Dennis Bergkamp, to score 100 or more goals with the club. On 20 November 2010, Suárez bit
PSV's
Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a 0–0 draw. Ajax suspended him for two matches and fined him an undisclosed amount, which the club said they would donate to a "good cause". The Dutch daily newspaper
De Telegraaf branded Suárez the "Cannibal of Ajax". Suárez apologized for his actions through a video he uploaded to his
Facebook page. Despite leaving while suspended, Suárez departed Ajax on good terms, and he was given a farewell sendoff after an Ajax match. During the sendoff, an Ajax coach spoke to him and the crowd and said how the club wished he could stay longer; the crowd applauded their agreement and fireworks followed. Ajax ended the
2010–11 season as Eredivisie champions and Suárez was given a winner's medal for his 7 goals in 13 appearances. On 31 January 2011, Suárez signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Liverpool until 2016, and was the club's most expensive signing (£22.8 million) until the arrival of
Andy Carroll (£35 million) a few hours later. Suárez requested the number seven shirt, which had been worn by Liverpool legends
Kevin Keegan,
Peter Beardsley and his new manager,
Kenny Dalglish.
2011–12: Early seasons . Suárez made his Liverpool debut on 2 February against
Stoke City at
Anfield in a 2–0 win; he came on as a substitute and scored Liverpool's second goal in front of the
Kop in the 79th minute. He was one of Liverpool's best players during his partial season and helped Liverpool go from 12th in the league in mid-January He finished the
2010–11 season with four goals in 13 games. Suárez had a disappointing
2011–12 season by his standards. Liverpool finished in eighth place and Suárez scored 11 league goals. On 28 April, Suárez scored his first Liverpool
hat-trick in a 3–0 win against
Norwich City at
Carrow Road. He finished sixth for the
2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Racial abuse incident The season was marked by an incident in which Suárez was found guilty by a three-man panel from
The Football Association (FA) of racially abusing
Patrice Evra during a match against
Manchester United in October; he was issued an eight-match suspension and a £40,000 fine. Suárez disputed this decision. After a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 15 October 2011, Suárez was accused of racially abusing Evra, and the FA opened up an investigation into the incident. On 16 November, the FA announced it would charge Suárez with "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour contrary to FA rules", including "a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Patrice Evra". Liverpool later released a statement announcing Suárez would plead innocent, adding they would "remain fully supportive" of him. On 20 December, the FA concluded a seven-day hearing, handing Suárez an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine for racially abusing Evra. In their next meeting in February, during the pregame handshakes, Suárez avoided shaking Evra's hand, for which Suárez and Dalglish were later forced to apologise. Suárez was also banned for one match for
making an obscene gesture towards
Fulham fans.
2012–13: Return and individual success On 7 August 2012, Suárez signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool. On 26 August, he scored his first goal of the
2012–13 season in a 2–2 draw with champions
Manchester City at Anfield. On 29 September 2012, Suárez scored a hat-trick in Liverpool's Premier League fixture away at
Norwich City for the second consecutive season. in January 2013 On 6 January 2013, Suárez handled the ball before scoring the decisive goal in Liverpool's 2–1 win over
Mansfield Town from the
Conference National in an
FA Cup third round match. Liverpool's manager
Brendan Rodgers defended his player by claiming "it's not his job to own up", while Mansfield manager
Paul Cox said he felt "a little bit gutted" by the "instinctive" handball, but admitted he would have accepted a goal scored like that by one of his players. On 19 January, Suárez scored his seventh goal in three matches against Norwich, as Liverpool cruised to a 5–0 home league victory. The following week, Suárez captained Liverpool for the first time for the FA Cup fourth round match against
Oldham Athletic; Liverpool lost 2–3. On 2 March, Suárez scored a hat-trick against
Wigan Athletic, leading Liverpool to a dominant 4–0 victory at the
DW Stadium. In so doing, he became only the third Liverpool player to score 20 Premier League goals in a single season after
Robbie Fowler and
Fernando Torres. On 10 March, Suárez scored his 50th goal in all competitions since joining
the Reds by scoring the opener in a 3–2 home victory over
Tottenham Hotspur, ending Spurs' 12-match unbeaten run. He was also named man of the match for his performance after he won the decisive penalty which
Steven Gerrard converted. At the end of the season, Suárez was one of six players named on the shortlist for
PFA Players' Player of the Year. Suárez finished second in the final ballot behind
Gareth Bale of Tottenham and was named in the
PFA Team of the Year. On 28 May 2013, he was named as Liverpool's player of the season after receiving 64% of votes in a poll of the club's supporters. , his second goal in a 3–1 win, March 2013
Second biting incident On 21 April 2013, during a 2–2 draw with
Chelsea in a Premier League match at Anfield, Suárez bit
Branislav Ivanović; this was the second time Suárez had bitten an opponent. It was not noticed by the officials, and Suárez scored an equalizer in injury time. Suárez accepted the violent conduct charge but denied the FA's claim the standard punishment of three matches was clearly insufficient for his offence. A three-man independent panel appointed by the FA decided on a ten-game ban for Suárez, who did not appeal the ban; the panel criticized Suárez for not appreciating "the seriousness" of the incident when he argued against a long ban. The panel also wanted to send a "strong message that such deplorable behaviours do not have a place in football", while noting that "all players in the higher level of the game are seen as role models, have the duty to act professionally and responsibly, and set the highest example of good conduct to the rest of the game – especially to young players". On 31 May 2013, Suárez said he would be seeking an exit from Liverpool in the summer, citing excessive media attention on his family as a reason for wanting to leave. On 6 August, after Liverpool had rejected a bid of
£40,000,001 for the player from Arsenal, Suárez reiterated his wish to leave Liverpool and said Liverpool had previously promised to allow him a transfer if the club failed to qualify for the
2013–14 UEFA Champions League. The following day, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Liverpool had not broken any promises to Suárez and that the player had shown "total disrespect" for the club. After this incident, the British press reported that Suárez had been instructed to train away from the Liverpool first-team squad by Rodgers. On 8 August, Liverpool owner
John W. Henry stated that Suárez would not be allowed to leave the club.
2013–14: European Golden Shoe and departure On 14 August, Suárez reversed his position about wanting to leave the club, with reports stating he wanted to stay at the club and that he was possibly going to sign a contract extension, citing the support from Liverpool supporters as the reason for his unexpected turnaround. Suárez returned to first-team training two days later after "offer[ing] contrition" to his teammates but reportedly not apologizing to his manager. On 25 September, Suárez returned to the Liverpool team after his suspension to make his first appearance of the
2013–14 season in a
League Cup third round tie against Manchester United at
Old Trafford, losing 1–0. On 29 September, Suárez made his first
Premier League appearance of the season, scoring twice as Liverpool defeated
Sunderland 3–1 at the
Stadium of Light. On 26 October, he scored his fourth Premier League hat-trick, his first at Anfield, in a 4–1 defeat of
West Bromwich Albion. On 4 December, Suárez scored four goals against Norwich City in a 5–1 home win. He became the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks against the same club, and took his scoring record against Norwich to 11 goals in 5 matches. On 15 December, Suárez captained Liverpool for the first time in a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur. He both scored and assisted twice as the team recorded a 5–0 win at
White Hart Lane to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal to two points. The following day, Suárez was named the
Football Supporters' Federation Player of the Year for 2013. On 20 December, Suárez signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Liverpool. On 1 January 2014, by scoring in a 2–0 home win over
Hull City, Suárez became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more goals in successive Premier League seasons since Robbie Fowler in
1994–95 and
1995–96. He equaled
Andy Cole's Premier League record for the earliest date to reach the 20-goal mark, but set a new record low of 15 matches. His strike partnership this season with
Daniel Sturridge has earned them a nickname "SAS",
i.e.,
Sturridge and Suárez. On 1 March, Suárez made his 100th Premier League appearance, scoring in a 3–0 win over
Southampton at
St Mary's Stadium. In the following fixture, he scored his 25th league goal of the season as Liverpool defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time since 2009 by a convincing three-goal margin. On 22 March, Suárez scored his sixth
Premier League hat-trick, and third of the season, in a 6–3 win over
Cardiff City at the
Cardiff City Stadium. On 30 March, he broke Robbie Fowler's club record of 28 goals in a Premier League season in a 4–0 home win against Tottenham which took Liverpool top of the league with six matches remaining. On 20 April, he scored in a 3–2 win at Norwich to become the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since
Ian Rush in
1986–87. This also made him the seventh player to score 30 goals in a Premier League season, following Andy Cole,
Alan Shearer,
Kevin Phillips,
Thierry Henry,
Cristiano Ronaldo and
Robin van Persie. On 18 April, Suárez was named as one of the six players nominated for the
PFA Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. On 27 April, he won the award, becoming the first non-European to win the award. On 5 May 2014, Suárez was named as the
Football Association Writers Player of the Year. He finished the season with 31 goals in 33 matches, winning the
Premier League Golden Boot, with Sturridge as runner-up, as Liverpool came second in the league and returned to the UEFA Champions League. Suárez also won the Barclay's
Premier League Player of the Season award. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals, he also shared the
European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona Signing and suspension in August 2014. After serving his four-month suspension for biting at the 2014 World Cup he made his competitive debut for the club on 25 October. On 11 July 2014, Suárez agreed with
Barcelona on a five-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee, however, according to a leaked document by
Football Leaks, the fee was £64.98 million (€82.3 million adjusted for inflation), making him
one of the most expensive players in world football history.
Barça confirmed Suárez would wear the number 9 shirt for the
2014–15 season. Suárez missed the first part of the season after being found guilty of biting Italian player
Giorgio Chiellini at the
2014 FIFA World Cup. As part of the suspension, he was banned from all "football-related activities", including training for Barcelona, for four months (until 26 October). He was also banned from entering any stadium, even as a spectator, during the same period. The parties were heard at a hearing at the CAS offices in
Lausanne, Switzerland, on 8 August. Six days later, the CAS confirmed the ban imposed by
FIFA against Suárez, who remained suspended from football for four months, as well as a nine-match ban in internationals, the first of which was served in
Uruguay's round of 16 match against Colombia in the 2014 World Cup. However, the CAS removed the player's "football-related activities" ban and he was allowed to train with Barcelona. As a result of this ban, Suárez was banned from participating in the
2015 Copa América. The CAS permitted Suárez to play in friendly matches, and he made his Barcelona debut on 18 August against
Club León of Mexico at the
Camp Nou, replacing
Rafinha for the final 14 minutes of an eventual 6–0 win in the
Gamper Trophy. Fellow forwards Lionel Messi and
Neymar had already been substituted off by the time Suárez took to the pitch.
2014–15: MSN trio and treble winner Suárez made his competitive debut for Barcelona on 25 October, starting in attack with Messi and Neymar away to
Real Madrid in
El Clásico. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 November in a 4–0 win at
APOEL in the
UEFA Champions League group stage. On 20 December, he scored his first league goal for the club in his eighth
La Liga match, contributing to a 5–0 home win against
Córdoba. in Berlin holding up pictures of the attacking trio, Messi, Suárez and Neymar (MSN) On 24 February 2015, Suárez scored twice as
Barça defeated English champions
Manchester City 2–1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League
round of 16 tie. On 4 March, he scored in Barcelona's 3–1
Copa del Rey semi-final win over
Villarreal to qualify the club for its 37th
Spanish Cup final. On 8 March, Suárez scored twice in a 6–1 home win over
Rayo Vallecano. On 22 March, Suárez scored the winning goal for Barcelona in the 2–1 victory over Real Madrid at
Camp Nou. In the post-match press conference, his coach
Luis Enrique lauded Suárez, saying, "Very few players can score a goal like he did, and that is why we signed him. He can decide games. He's a pure scorer, who needs very little to finish." He
nutmegged PSG defender
David Luiz twice before scoring both goals. On 2 May, he scored his first hat-trick for the club, in 8–0 win at Córdoba. On 12 May, Suárez set up both of Neymar's goals in the second leg of Barcelona's UEFA Champions League semi-final tie as they went on to win 5–3 on aggregate against
Bayern Munich. Suárez scored in the
Champions League final against
Juventus on 6 June in
Berlin, putting the team back into the lead in an eventual 3–1 win by converting the rebound after
Gianluigi Buffon saved from Messi. The win sealed a
treble for the team. Suárez ended his first season at Barcelona with 25 goals and 20 assists in all competitions. The Barcelona attacking trio of Messi, Suárez and Neymar, dubbed "MSN", ended with 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history.
2015–16: Second European Golden Shoe, domestic success in the
2015 UEFA Super Cup Suárez opened the
2015–16 season by scoring and assisting a goal in Barcelona's 5–4
extra time victory over
Sevilla in the
2015 UEFA Super Cup, on 11 August 2015. On 25 October, he scored his first hat trick of the season, as Barcelona beat Eibar 3–1. The following week, Suárez scored in a 2–0 away win against
Getafe after being assisted with a backheel from
Sergi Roberto, his 300th career goal. On 21 November, Suárez scored twice in Barcelona's 4–0 away win against Real Madrid. On 17 December, Suárez scored all three goals as Barcelona defeated Chinese club
Guangzhou Evergrande 3–0 in the
2015 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final in
Yokohama, Japan, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in
the competition's history. He then scored twice in Barcelona's 3–0 win over Argentine club
River Plate in
the final, finishing the tournament as top scorer with five goals and being named the best player of the competition. On 17 January 2016, Suárez scored a hat trick against Athletic Bilbao, in a game that ended 6–0 for Barcelona. On 3 February 2016, Suárez scored four goals in a 7–0
Copa del Rey win against
Valencia. On 16 February, he recorded his 3rd hat trick of the LaLiga Campaign, netting 3 against Celta Vigo in Barcelona's 6–1 win. On 16 March, he scored an acrobatic goal as Barcelona beat
Arsenal 3–1 in the second leg of their
Champions League round of 16 tie. On 5 April, he scored both of Barcelona's goals in a 2–1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid during their first leg of the quarter-finals, though Barcelona were still eliminated from the competition following defeat in the second leg. On 20 April, Suárez again scored four times in a match, as well as assisting three further goals for teammates, as
Barça won 8–0 away at
Deportivo La Coruña in La Liga. Three days later, he scored another four goals in a 6–0 home win over
Sporting Gijón, becoming the first player to score four times in back-to-back matches in the history of La Liga. On 30 April, Suárez became only the second player in the history of the club to reach the milestone of 35 goals in a single league season. On the final day of the
2015–16 La Liga season, Suárez scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory at
Granada, securing a second consecutive
Spanish championship for
Barça and registering 40 league goals for the season to win his first
Pichichi Trophy and a second
European Golden Shoe. Suárez also became the first player since 2009 other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win both the Pichichi and the Golden Shoe in a season. Fourteen of his goals came in his last five matches. Suárez also led the league in assists, tied at 16 with Messi, becoming the first player ever to lead La Liga in both goals and assists. On 22 May, Suárez suffered a
right hamstring injury during Barcelona's 2–0 victory over Sevilla in the
2016 Copa del Rey Final. The club confirmed after the match that he would likely miss at least part of the upcoming
Copa América Centenario with
his national team. For Uruguay, Suárez also previously missed part of the 2014 World Cup and the entire 2015 Copa América through suspension. Suárez ended the season with 59 goals and 22 assists.
2016–17: Final season of the MSN trio Suárez opened the
2016–17 season by scoring a goal in Barcelona's
2016 Supercopa de España first leg match against Sevilla as they recorded a 2–0 away victory. In the first match of the
2016–17 La Liga season, Suárez scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 victory against
Real Betis, also claiming his first free kick goal for Barcelona. Suárez made his 100th Barcelona appearance in a 1–2 defeat at home to
Alavés. Though unable to score, Suárez still claimed the distinction of having more goals and assists in his first 100 matches in Spain than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi; Suárez contributed 88 goals and 43 assists in his first 100 matches for Barcelona, compared to Ronaldo's 95 goals and 29 assists, and Messi's 41 goals and 14 assists. Suárez opened his
Champions League account for the season with two goals in a 7–0 win defeat of
Celtic on 13 September; this was followed by another goal three days later in a 5–1 La Liga win at
Leganés. On 3 December, Suárez opened the scoring with a second half header in
El Clásico, though Real Madrid scored a late equalizer and the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Later on 18 December, Suárez scored a brace as well as provided an assist as Barcelona won 4–1 against
Espanyol in
Derbi barceloní. On 11 January 2017, Suárez scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in a
Copa del Rey round of 16 match against
Athletic Bilbao. During the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, on 1 February, Suárez dribbled his way through opposing defence from his own half to score Barcelona's first goal in a narrow 2–1 victory. On 7 February, Suárez scored and was later sent off for a second yellow in Barcelona's semi-final second leg match of the Copa del Rey against Atlético for a foul on
Koke, his first red card for the club, meaning he would miss the
final. In an interview after the match, Suárez expressed his disdain with the referee's decision, and his desire for the club to appeal it. Barcelona would go on to win the final despite Suárez's absence, lifting the cup for a third straight season. On 8 March, Suárez opened the scoring with a third-minute header in Barcelona's famous
6–1 victory over PSG in the
Champions League round of 16 second leg, also later winning a penalty which Neymar converted for his side's fifth goal. Barcelona won 6–5 over PSG on aggregate, overcoming a 0–4 deficit suffered in the first leg, and achieved the biggest second leg comeback in Champions League history. Suárez finished the season with 37 goals and 16 assists.
2017–18: Domestic double and record unbeaten streak On 23 September 2017, Suárez scored in Barcelona's 3–0 win over
Girona, in the first ever Catalan derby for the opposition. On 14 October, Suárez maintained Barcelona's undefeated start to the La Liga season with a late header against
Atlético Madrid at the
Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. He scored twice against
Leganés in a 3–0 win at the
Estadio Municipal de Butarque on 18 November. On 2 December, Suárez scored Barcelona's second goal in a 2–2 draw with Celta de Vigo. A week later, on 10 December, Suárez and Messi scored again as Barcelona won 2–0 against Villarreal. On 17 December, Suárez scored two against Deportivo La Coruña in a 4–0 win. Less than a week later, he opened the scoring for Barcelona in a 3–0 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. His goal at El Clásico was the 400th goal of his professional career. Following the midseason break, Suárez scored twice in a 4–2 comeback win at
Real Sociedad on 14 January 2018. A week later, on 21 January, he scored a brace as well as assisted twice in Barcelona's 5–0 win against Real Betis. He scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 home win over Girona on 24 February. On 4 April, Suárez scored during a 4–1 victory over
AS Roma in the first leg of Champions League quarter-final, though Roma would end up mounting a comeback, knocking Barcelona out in the second leg. On 14 April, Suárez scored as Barcelona defeated Valencia 2–1 to secure the
longest unbeaten streak in La Liga history, at 39 games. On 21 April, Barcelona won their fourth consecutive Copa del Rey title, beating Sevilla 5–0 in the
final in Madrid, with Suárez scoring twice. On 29 April, Suárez set up all three of Messi's goals in a 4–2 victory over Deportivo La Coruña, winning his third league title with Barcelona. A week later, Barcelona held on for a dramatic 2–2 draw at home to Real Madrid on 6 May, to extend their unbeaten streak in the league; Suárez and Messi scored the goals for Barça. Barcelona's record league unbeaten streak came to an end after 43 games, following a 4–5 loss to Levante in the penultimate game of the season on 13 May. Barcelona mounted a comeback after trailing 1–5, with both Suárez and new club record signing
Philippe Coutinho scoring a brace each, but they couldn't find an equalizer. Suárez finished the season with 31 goals and 17 assists in total, and his 12 La Liga assists made him league's top assist provider for the third consecutive season.
2018–19: Back-to-back La Liga triumph Suárez scored twice for Barcelona in an 8–2 win over newly promoted
Huesca on 2 September 2018. A week later he scored in their 2–1 victory at Real Sociedad, as the club made it four wins out of four in La Liga. On 28 October, Suárez scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 home win over Real Madrid in
El Clásico. He became only the second Barcelona player after Messi to score a league hat-trick in the
Clásico over the last twenty years. A week later, on 3 November, Suárez scored twice to lead a 3–2 comeback victory over
Rayo Vallecano. On 13 January, Suárez scored twice and assisted Messi's goal in Barcelona's 3–0 victory over Eibar, helping his team to a 5 points lead on top of the league table. On 27 February, Suárez again scored twice against Real Madrid during a 3–0 victory in the second leg of
2018–19 Copa del Rey semi-final. On 27 April 2019, Barcelona secured a second consecutive
La Liga title, and Suárez's fourth league title with the club. However, Suárez scored only one goal in the
2018–19 UEFA Champions League; this came on 1 May, as he netted Barcelona's opener in their 3–0 win over Suárez's former club Liverpool in the first leg of the semi-finals. However, Barcelona would go on to lose the second leg 0–4 at
Anfield on 7 May, being eliminated and squandering a three-goal first leg lead in the competition for the second consecutive season. Suárez ended the season with 25 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. Suárez opened his scoring account by netting a brace in a 5–2 victory over Valencia as a 60th-minute substitute. On 2 October, he scored two goals in a 2–1 comeback win over
Inter Milan in the
2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage. Four days later, he opened the scoring in a 4–0 league victory over Sevilla with a
bicycle kick. On 7 December, he scored a curving backheel goal in a 5–2 victory over
Mallorca, being lauded by many as one of the goals of the season. Three days later, Suárez captained Barcelona for the first time as he came off the bench to set up
Ansu Fati's late goal in a 2–1 win over Inter during the final match of Barcelona's Champions League group. On 12 January 2020, Barcelona confirmed that Suárez would have to undergo a surgery which could see him out for four months, after suffering a knee injury during their defeat against Atlético in the
Supercopa de España. By scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over
Espanyol on 9 July, Suárez took his tally to 195 goals with Barcelona, surpassing
László Kubala to become the third all-time top scorer in the club's history. On 8 August, having missed the first leg due to injury, Suárez scored from the
penalty spot during Barcelona's 3–1 win over
Napoli in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, as they advanced to the quarter-finals to play
Bayern Munich in a single-legged match. On 14 August, Suárez scored his side's second goal as Barcelona suffered a historic
2–8 defeat against Bayern, the club's worst defeat in nearly seventy years that capped a first trophyless season since
2007–08.
Atlético Madrid 2020–21: Debut season and fifth La Liga title After becoming Barcelona head coach on 19 August 2020,
Ronald Koeman informed Suárez he was no longer wanted, and club president
Josep Maria Bartomeu had also left him off a list of players he considered not for sale in the aftermath of the 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier that month. On 23 September 2020, after failing to join
Juventus and amid accusations that he cheated his way to obtain an Italian citizenship, Suárez signed a two-year contract with
Atlético Madrid. On 27 September, Suárez made his debut for the club, scoring two goals and providing
Marcos Llorente with an assist in a 6–1 victory against
Granada. On 25 November, Suárez's backheel goal against Mallorca, which he scored on 7 December 2019, was nominated for the
2020 FIFA Puskás Award, eventually finishing in second behind a goal scored by
Tottenham Hotspur's
Son Heung-min. On 3 January 2021, Suárez scored a 90th-minute winner against
Alavés, a feat which saw him overtake
Radamel Falcao's record for a player's best start with Atlético this century; his eleven
goal contributions (nine goals and two assists) in his first twelve La Liga matches surpassed Falcao's nine goals and one assist over the same period in 2011. in the
2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage On 21 January, Suárez scored a brace, including a last-minute penalty, in a 2–1 win over
Eibar. This meant that he had managed to hit double figures in goals in each of his past ten league campaigns. Three days later, he scored Atlético's second goal in a 3–1 comeback victory over
Valencia, taking his league tally to twelve goals in fifteen games, the joint-most in La Liga. This feat meant Suárez had accomplished the best start for a player at a new club in the league since
Cristiano Ronaldo's move to
Real Madrid (13 goals in 15 appearances in 2010). On 31 January, Suárez scored another two goals in a 4–2 victory over
Cádiz, also netting his first free kick goal for the club. He then scored an additional brace on 8 February, in Atlético's 2–2 draw against
Celta Vigo. On 7 March, Suárez scored the opener against Real Madrid in the
Madrid Derby, his first goal in five matches, though Atlético conceded late as the match ended in a 1–1 draw. On 21 March, Suárez headed in the match-winner to score his 500th senior career goal as Atlético edged a 1–0 victory over Alavés. On 16 May, the penultimate matchday of the La Liga season, Suárez scored a crucial winner in the dying minutes of his side's 2–1 comeback victory over
Osasuna, recording his twentieth goal of the season and ensuring that Atlético remained on top of the table. On 22 May, the final matchday of the league season, Suárez scored the winning goal in a 2–1 comeback away at
Real Valladolid, leading his club to a victory that would ultimately hand them their first La Liga title in seven years. Suárez finished his debut season as Atletico's top scorer with 21 goals.
2021–22: Second season and departure Suárez scored during his first league start of the season against Villarreal, although he suffered a bruise and had to be taken off, resulting in a 2–2 draw. On 21 September, Suárez scored both of Atletico's goals in a 2–1 comeback victory over Getafe. On 28 September, Suárez scored an injury time penalty during a 2–1 comeback away win against
AC Milan in the
2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage. On 2 October, Suárez both scored and assisted as Atletico defeated Barcelona 2–0 in La Liga, though he did not celebrate netting against his former club. Suárez scored another brace on 24 October, as he led Atletico to a 2–2 draw against Real Sociedad after trailing by two goals. On 2 April, he scored two goals against Alavés in a 4–1 win. Following the result he reached a tally of 11 league goals for the season; the tenth consecutive season in domestic leagues he reached double figures in his career. On 15 May 2022, after the last home match this campaign for Atlético, the team announced Suárez's departure at the end of the season, where he was given a farewell as well as a standing ovation as fans unfurled a giant banner reading "Thank you Lucho for making us champions." Later on, the club also honored Suárez by presenting an illustration of his figure across the main mural at the museum of
Wanda Metropolitano. Suárez again ended the season as Atletico's top scorer with 13 goals. which was confirmed the following day. He made his second debut for
El Bolso on 2 August, in a
Copa Sudamericana 1–0 defeat to
Atlético Goianiense, at the
Parque Central. Four days later, he scored the final goal in a 3–0
league home win over
Rentistas. On 31 October, during the Championship finals, Suárez had a Man of the Match performance where he scored twice to lead his team to a 4–1 victory against
Liverpool Montevideo, making Nacional
2022 Uruguayan Primera División Champions. He ended the season with eight goals and three assists in 14 league games. Suárez was presented on 4 January at
Arena do Grêmio in front of 30,000 fans. He made his debut on 17 January 2023 in a match against
São Luiz for the
2023 Recopa Gaúcha. Suárez scored a
hat-trick in a 4–1 win. On 8 April, Suárez won his second title for Grêmio: the
Campeonato Gaúcho. Suárez scored a penalty goal against
Caxias at the second leg of the
2023 Campeonato Gaúcho finals, thus beating Caxias 2–1 on aggregate. In late June, rumours began to circulate that Suárez might retire before the end of his contract due his extensive knee injuries. On 21 June in a press conference, Grêmio president Alberto Guerra announced that Suárez "gives himself almost daily injections and special treatments, he is in constant pain. It is serious. Suárez has the possibility of being fitted with a prosthesis." However, on the next day, Grêmio played against
América Mineiro, resulting in a 3–1 victory with a decisive performance by Suárez; with one goal, one assist and multiple plays and goal attempts. In the post-match press interview, Grêmio's vice-president Paulo Caleffi denied any rumors and Suárez himself mocked the rumors in social media. In July, rumours resurfaced that Suárez still had knee issues and wished to leave early, starting negotiations with Grêmio's board. After various rumours on media, Suárez revealed on a press conference together with Grêmio's vice-president Antônio Brum that he would shorten his contract to the end of 2023. He cited that his knee issues were particularly exacerbated with the long and intense schedule of the Brazilian league. On 9 November 2023, Suárez scored his second hat-trick for Grêmio, as they beat leaders
Botafogo away 4–3 after trailing 3–1. He finished the
Campeonato Brasileiro with 17 goals and 11 assists, totaling 28 goal contributions in 33 games. He was the leader in goal participation in the competition, leading Grêmio to be the runner-up in the championship. In December, Suárez was elected Best Player of the
Brasileirão and awarded the
Bola de Ouro by
ESPN Brazil.
Inter Miami In the summer of 2023, plans were made for Suárez to join
Inter Miami for a reunion with Messi,
Sergio Busquets, and
Jordi Alba. However, his contract with Grêmio did not allow him to join the club. In October, Inter Miami's head coach,
Gerardo Martino, said that the club was planning on the possible arrival of Suárez in 2024, having an analysis of the
2024 season with and without Suárez. By November, multiple reports indicated that Suárez was set to join Inter Miami on a one-year deal with an option for a further year. On 22 December 2023, Inter Miami officially announced Suárez would join the club for the 2024 season. Suárez made his
2024 MLS season debut in a match against
Real Salt Lake on 21 February 2024, providing an assist to
Diego Gómez in a 2–0 win. Suárez scored his first goals for the club on 2 March with a brace against cross-state rivals
Orlando City in a 5–0 victory, helping secure the club's largest ever margin of victory. On 7 March, Suárez and Inter Miami made their debuts in the
CONCACAF Champions Cup against
Nashville SC. He would score a goal, helping the first leg end 2–2. On 4 May, Suárez scored his first hat-trick for the club with the help of three assists from Messi in a 6–2 win over the
New York Red Bulls. On 24 August, Suárez scored the fastest goal in the club's history when he fired a shot past
FC Cincinnati's
Roman Celentano just 30 seconds after the start of the game. Suárez would make it a brace just 5 minutes later to seal a 2–0 victory. On 14 September, Suárez scored his 17th goal for the club in league play to help Inter Miami to a 3–1 win over
Philadelphia Union which also allowed him to surpass
Gonzalo Higuaín's club record for the most goals scored in the regular season. On 27 November 2024, Suárez signed a new one-year contract with Inter Miami, extending his stay at the club until the end of the 2025 season. in July 2025 Suárez made his debut in the
2025 MLS season in a 2–2 draw against
New York City on 22 February 2025. A few days later on 25 February 2025, Suárez and Lionel Messi were fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for violating the league's hands to the face/head/neck policy during the opening match of the season three days earlier against
New York City FC. Suárez grabbed the back of the neck of New York City FC player
Birk Risa during an argument at the start of half-time. Despite getting fined by MLS, Messi and Suárez were still able to play against
Sporting KC on the same day in the
CONCACAF Champions Cup, with both of them scoring in a 3–1 win. Suárez would score his first goal of the season on 2 March 2025 in a game against
Houston Dynamo it resulted in a 4–1 win he would also get three goal contributions in the game with assists to newcomer,
Telasco Segovia and
Tadeo Allende. On 6 March, Suárez scored a goal against
Cavalier F.C. where they won 2–0 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. He would score against Cavalier F.C. again on March 13, through a penalty in another 2–0 win in the second leg sending them to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Later that year, on 24 June, he scored in a 2–2 draw against
Palmeiras during the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming, at the age of 38 years and 151 days, the second oldest player in history to score in the Club World Cup, only behind Sergio Ramos, who had set the record a few days earlier at 39.
Leagues Cup final incident The
2025 Leagues Cup final was played between Inter Miami and the
Seattle Sounders at
Lumen Field in
Seattle, with the home team winning 3–0. The rough timeline shows that the brawl started after the full time whistle when Suárez and
Obed Vargas were bantering. This led Suárez to put his arm around Vargas' neck, putting him in a headlock, with the benches clearing afterwards, and Suárez spitting on Sounders security director Gene Ramirez. Suárez stepped onto the foot of Ramirez, who was trying to disengage, and spat on the bill of Ramirez's cap and cheek. A month later, on 12 October, he scored his 600th career goal in a 4–0 victory over
Atlanta United. Later that year, on 17 December, he signed a one-year contract extension with the club after they won the
MLS Cup earlier that month against
Vancouver Whitecaps. ==International career==