Former Liverpool star Luis Suárez has revealed that he and Lionel Messi had plans to retire at Barcelona, not as Inter Miami players. He had also previously kept the door open on a sensational Anfield return.
Suárez, who will turn 37 this week, joined the MLS club last year, becoming the fourth ex-Barcelona player to do so. Messi started the trend after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, soon followed by Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The four were teammates in Barcelona for six years, winning the Copa del Rey and La Liga four times, and the Champions League once. However, Suárez left for Atlético Madrid in 2020 after falling out with new coach Ronald Koeman, and Messi moved to PSG a year later.
At his first Inter Miami press conference, Suárez said: “I didn’t imagine that we were going to be together again because I thought Leo would end his career at Barca,” and “In 2019, we imagined winning everything at Barcelona and dreamed of retiring there. First, I left, and then everyone [Alba, Busquets and Messi] left behind me.” He also mentioned how his former teammates influenced his decision to join them in South Beach.
“Everyone has their life and their family; they spoke to me very well; they are very happy,” he said. “It costs some more, others less.
“Sergio was the first time he went out, and the change can be a bit difficult, but today he told me that the children are fine, which is important. Jordi also, after so many years in Barcelona, a very big change, three children, is difficult.
“Leo was more used to it, and I am even more used to it than them because of the changes I have made [in my career]. I can advise them more than they can advise me about what life is like outside.”
Suárez is indeed the most journeyman-like of the former Barcelona teammates. He made his first steps in Europe with Groningen in the Netherlands and then Ajax, before moving to Liverpool. A transfer to Catalonia followed, and since leaving Spain he has gone on to play in Uruguay (again) and Brazil.
The return to boyhood club Nacional was an emotional one, and many imagined this would be Suárez’s retirement plan. Prior to that, he had also sparked rumors of a Liverpool return, keeping that door open after playing in a testimonial fixture for Steven Gerrard:
“You never know in football what the future holds but if I ever play in England again I will play for the Liverpool team and not another team,” said Suárez, via the Mirror. But in the end, it was a Barcelona reunion in Miami on the cards.
All four trained together for the first time on Thursday, and then were all named in the starting line-up for the first time since their days at Barcelona. Suárez shared his memories of that period while looking ahead to making more memories in Miami, although the first game was an underwhelming goalless draw in a curious match-up with the El Salvador national team.
“It’s nice to remember the great moments that we lived together in the club that we all dreamed of, Barcelona,” he said. “Another reason is to meet them again.
“That image [of them sitting smiling together on a bench] brings back a nice memory, and it’s time to show it on the field. We are very ambitious and professional; we are committed. We have to dream big, and why not dream of the four titles [CONCACAF Champions League, Leagues Cup, MLS Cup and US Open Cup]. It depends on us; we have to show it on the field.”
