Luis Suarez opens up on benching, return to Inter Miami, Uruguay World Cup team
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez, the 39-year-old Uruguayan legend, has been known to answer tough questions as deftly as he scored goals over his storied career.
Wednesday morning after training, Suarez opened up about how he handled being benched late last season, why he chose to return for 2026, how he feels about the club investing in $15 million striker German Berterame, why he thinks Inter Miami is not dominating the way it was during its MLS Cup run, and, finally, about his availability for the Uruguayan national team heading into the 2026 World Cup.
Suarez joined Inter Miami ahead of the 2024 season, reuniting with his former FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Despite being relegated to the bench at times, due to suspensions or coaches’ decisions, he has recorded 44 goals, the second most in club history, and 31 assists in 94 appearances.
This season, through seven games, he has two goals and one assist.
It was unknown at the end of last season whether Suarez would retire or return. He chose to sign a one-year contract in December.
“The decision comes from realizing that you still have a little bit of rope left, that the desire to keep competing is still there,” Suarez said. “And you can see it out on the field. I still get upset by losses and errant passes and I still enjoy those moments when I contribute. I still have that adrenaline, that burning desire to keep playing.”
The final few months of the 2025 season were particularly challenging.
In September, he received a six-match Leagues Cup suspension and a separate three-match MLS ban for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member following the Leagues Cup final.
Then, on Nov. 5, Suarez was suspended for one match and fined by the MLS disciplinary committee for violent conduct against Nashville defender Andy Najar in the Nov. 1 playoff game.
Suarez was forced to miss the decisive third playoff game against Nashville on Nov. 8. Miami won 4-0 and coach Javier Mascherano benched Suarez throughout the rest of the 2025 MLS playoffs. The team’s attack was potent during his absence, as Miami outscored opponents 16-2 in the final four games.
“Obviously, at the time, Mascherano spoke to me about it and explained the situation. I understood it and accepted it without any problems,” Suarez said.
“Of course, when you start getting fewer and fewer minutes on the pitch, you ask yourself why? What is the reason? Especially since the minutes when I was playing weren’t bad. But those are decisions you just have to accept. My job was to keep working hard day in and day out, trying to prove that I deserved a bit more playing time.”
Suarez has scored more than 600 goals during his career and provided 300-plus assists. He has learned to ride the highs and lows.
“Like any player’s career, not just mine, you go through ups and downs,” he said. “There are times when you feel great, and other times you don’t. There was the suspension, followed by the period of not playing, that whole experience made me calmer in a way.
“Then, obviously, when you get back to playing, you start feeling like yourself again, you feel happy and involved, which is what you always want, and you regain your confidence. But these are the ups and downs that every player goes through, and I’ve certainly experienced plenty of them throughout my career.”
He started 2026 as a substitute but returned to the starting lineup under new interim coach Guillermo Hoyos.
“New teammates come in to help the team, and you have to support them and encourage them,” Suarez said. “A lot of things have been said. Berterame came to help the team and has incredible physical attributes.
“My intent has always been to help him, and I will continue to help him, because he is a player who still has so much room to grow. We have a great relationship. So, whether one new No. 9 arrives or two, my role will always be to try and help them given my age and my career trajectory, my main objective is help.”
Asked why the team is not dominating as it did during the MLS Cup run, Suarez said it is not just the retirement of Busquets and Alba, though that plays a big part.
“There are a lot of different tactical and technical nuances,” he said. “Sadly, they’re not here anymore. They are two very significant losses.
“Our build out was through Busi, through Jordi, with Jordi’s runs [up left flank] and we miss them a lot. But we had known for months that they weren’t going to be here, and we had to try to play differently. Some games we have good results, others we have not. We must work hard and keep improving because we have a lot of young players who still have a lot to learn.”
Suarez stepped away from the Uruguayan national team in September 2024 as the all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 143 games across 17 years. At the time, he criticized coach Marcelo Bielsa, citing a toxic culture. He has since apologized and seems to hold out hope he could help the World Cup team.
“I stepped aside to make way for younger players and said some things I shouldn’t have said,” Suarez said. “But I already apologized to those I need to apologize to and if they need me, I will never say no to the national team.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 4:23 PM.