Luis Suarez will play his farewell match for Uruguay after retiring from international football during a sad press conference at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium.
Suarez stated that he would leave the international squad following Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay and would play the game with the same tenacity as he had in his debut game in 2007.
“I leave with the peace of mind that I gave everything for the national team until Friday. I have no regrets,” Suarez said.
“There is no better pride in oneself than knowing when the right moment to retire is and luckily I am confident that I am retiring from the national team because I want to take a step aside.”
The 37-year-old, who played for Liverpool from 2011 to 2014, says he is proud to be able to retire on his terms.
“I am 37 years old and I know that it is very difficult to get to the next World Cup. It comforts me a lot that I can retire and not for my injuries to retire me, or to stop being called up,” he said.
Suarez competed in four World Cups, winning the Copa America in 2011 and being named the tournament’s best player. He is the country’s highest scorer, with 69 goals in 142 appearances over 17 years.
The striker, who was part of the group that came third in the Copa America in July, added that one of his goals was to demonstrate his ability to contribute to the national team indefinitely.
