Luis Suarez confirms retirement

Ururguay striker, Luis Suárez, has announced his retirement from the national team.

During a press conference on Monday, Suarez confirmed he will step away from international duty after their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay on Friday.

“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,” an emotional Suarez told a news conference Monday.

“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.

“For me individually, it is very helpful for me to want to take that step aside and feel ready. It is difficult because the decision was not easy. But I go with the peace of mind that until the last game I gave my all, and that the flame did not burn out slowly and that is why I made the decision that it should be now.”

The former Liverpool and Barcelona star, who is now playing with Inter Miami in MLS, departs as Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 142 games across 17 years.

Suárez made his senior debut for Uruguay on Feb. 8, 2007, in a 3-1 victory against Colombia and soon became an integral part of the squad. By 2010, he featured in 19 of the 20 World Cup qualifying matches to secure a spot for La Celeste at the tournament in South Africa.