Suarez reveals his stance on returning to the Uruguayan national team

Legendary Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has opened the door to a possible return to his country’s national team at the 2026 World Cup after a 19-month absence from international football, insisting he will “never say no” if the national team needs him.

Ready to come back despite being retired

Suarez, 39, announced his retirement from international football in September 2024 amid huge controversy after he lashed out at Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa, accusing him of “dividing the whole group”.

However, Celeste’s all-time top scorer backed down from his tough stance, telling reporters, according to the Spanish news agency. “I would never tell the national team if they needed me, especially with the World Cup coming up.”

Apology and acknowledgment of error

The former “Barcelona” and “Liverpool” star explained that his decision to end his career came to make room for the new generation, admitting that he crossed the line in his previous statements.

“Then I stepped aside to make room for the younger generation, I said something I shouldn’t have said, and I apologized to the people I should have apologized to,” Suarez said.

A career full of achievements and controversy

Suárez is Uruguay’s all-time leading goalscorer with 69 goals in 143 international matches, and since 2010 he has played in four World Cups in a career full of achievements and controversy.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he stopped Ghana’s goal with a deliberate handball in the quarter-finals, while serving a four-month ban after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in one of the most high-profile and controversial incidents in the tournament’s history.

“I still have a little life.”

Despite turning 39, Suarez, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, said he still has the desire to compete at the highest levels.

He said: “You realize that there is still a little life inside you, you feel the desire to continue competing. You can see that on the pitch, when you’re still upset about defeats and bad passes, and you’re still having fun when you score goals.”