Luis Suarez's iconic moments for Barcelona, Liverpool, Ajax and Uruguay
- Sean Byrne
- 27 January 2021
Luis Suarez has an incredible scoring record in his career, but this hasn't come without controversy at times. We've taken a look at some of the biggest moments of Suarez's playing days so far.
Luis Suarez has enjoyed a long and successful career within the world of soccer, and has his name in the history books as one of the most prolific strikers in the 21st Century.
Having moved to Netherlands aged 19 to pursue his footballing dreams, Suarez has grown significantly throughout his time in Europe, and was a vital member of the deadly Barcelona attack which consisted of himself, Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Now playing for league rivals Atletico Madrid, Suarez is showing no signs of slowing down with 12 goals in 15 La Liga appearances.
Here, we take a look back through his career so far, and our pick of his top 10 moments...
2009/10 season at Ajax
Suarez raised eyebrows when he came through at Ajax
The 2009/10 season proved to be the making of Suarez, who is now considered one of the best strikers in the world.
During this campaign at the top of Dutch football (Eredivisie), Suarez scored 35 goals in 33 appearances, was appointed captain, and helped guide his side to the title.
His performance that year earned him Dutch Player of the Year, Ajax Player of the Year for the second year in a row, and Eredivisie top goalscorer. Not bad for a 23-year-old, is it?
The 2010 World Cup
Suarez announced himself onto the international scene for both good and bad reasons during the 2010 World Cup hosted in South Africa.
Uruguay topped their group with Suarez scoring his side's only goal in a 1-0 victory against Mexico in their final group game, meaning Uruguay would face South Korea in the last 16 of the tournament.
Joining the clinical Diego Forlan up top, Luis Suarez stole the show as he bagged both goals in an impressive 2-1 victory - meaning his side would progress through to the quarterfinals. Not only did this make the football community notice Suarez, but Uruguay were now starting to be considered potential champions.
However, it was for completely different reasons that the 23-year-old made headlines in the quarterfinals against Ghana. With the score level at 1-1 in the final moments of extra time, Ghana saw a header destined for the back of the net saved by Suarez with his hand in controversial fashion.
Consequently, Suarez was sent off and Ghana were gifted a penalty to win the game. However, the penalty was blazed over the bar, and Uruguay went on to win the matchup in a penalty shootout.
Uruguay were defeated by the Netherlands 2-1 In the semifinals as a suspended Suarez watched on from the sidelines. Now, the striker's first World Cup will always be overshadowed by one of the most dramatic moments in the competition's history.
Debut for Liverpool
Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and Kenny Dalglish pose as both players are signed for Liverpool for club-record fees
In January 2011, Suarez joined Premier League giants Liverpool for a very brief club-record fee of £22.8million ($31.3million) to replace star player Fernando Torres, who joined league rivals Chelsea. He has signed alongside Andy Carroll, who a couple hours later broke the club-record fee again with £35million ($48million).
Making his debut from the bench, the Uruguayan raised the roof at Anfield by scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory against Stoke City.
Placed in a one-on-one situation with keeper Asmir Begovic, Suarez easily side-stepped past him and slotted the ball into the open net, as Liverpool fans rejoiced over their potential new star man.
First match against Manchester United
Suarez made an immediate impact in England
Just over a month after joining Liverpool, Luis Suarez faced his toughest test yet as his side came up against bitter rivals Manchester United.
The Red Devils were mounting yet another title challenge, and the pressure was on Liverpool to slow down their charge to the top.
Luis Suarez stepped up to the challenge, and while he didn't score, he produced one of the greatest Premier League assists of recent time.
Collecting the ball inside the penalty box, Suarez breezed past four United defenders before passing the ball on a plate to Dirk Kuyt, who had an open net to give Liverpool the first goal of the game.
Liverpool went on to win the fixture 3-1 with Dirk Kuyt securing himself a hat trick. However, the Kop faithful all left the ground that day talking about their new Uruguayan hero.
Winning the Copa America
After scoring twice against Peru to put his side through to the final, all eyes were on Suarez to bring silverware back to Uruguay in the 2011 Copa America.
El Pistolero did not disappoint either. It took Suarez just 11 minutes to find the back of the net against Paraguay to open the scoring, and from there his nation made lightwork of securing their place in history.
Two goals from strike partner Diego Forlan wrapped up the final 3-0, and an outstanding performance from Suarez not only earned him man of the match, but also player of the tournament.
This was Uruguay's 15th time winning the trophy, and having entered the competition as heavy underdogs, the country had new national hero Luis Suarez to thank for it this time round.
Four goals against Norwich City
Luis Suarez wheels away after scoring one of his four goals against Norwich City in 2014
As the 2013/14 Premier League campaign entered December, Liverpool were in a much stronger position than previous seasons, as they sat inside the top four and looked in a comfortable spot to push for Champions League football.
But after a disappointing defeat at the hands of Hull City the week before, Liverpool fans were concerned their side may be slipping up, and the pressure was on to regain some form against Norwich City at Anfield.
Up stepped Suarez, who didn't give the Canaries' backline a second of rest as he dominated their defence, and grabbed four goals for himself.
The Reds won the game 5-1, and Luis Suarez received two standing ovations for his unbelievable performance, once when substituted in the dying moments and the second when he collected the match ball. Suarez had once again helped Liverpool find their form.
Title push with Liverpool
The 2013/14 season was certainly a memorable one for Liverpool and Suarez.
The season saw their first title challenge in many years come to a devastating end, as they crumbled under pressure in the final games, including Steven Gerrard's infamous slip to allow Demba Ba to score in a must-win game against Chelsea.
For Suarez, the lack of domestic silverware was frustrating. But his personal awards were not lacking that season.
The Uruguayan ended the season with 31 goals in 33 appearances including three hat tricks, landing him the competition's top goalscorer award by a margin of 10 goals.
The striker also earned the Premier League's Player of the Season award as well as Club Player of the Year, as he established himself as the best striker in not just in England, but arguably the best in world football.
The 2014 World Cup
Suarez celebrates a goal against England in the 2014 World Cup group stages
Just like the 2013/14 Premier League campaign and the 2010 World Cup, the 2014 World Cup was filled with highs and lows for Suarez.
Initially the striker was a doubt for the competition, after picking up an injury against Newcastle towards the end of the season.
So, after watching his side draw their first group game from the sidelines, Suarez was fit to feature in a must-win game against England.
In typical fashion, he bagged both goals in a 2-1 victory to knock the Three Lions out of the competition, which featured multiple Liverpool teammates.
Then in the final group game against Italy, Suarez once again made headlines for the wrong reasons. He found himself suspended from all football activities for four months after biting defender Giorgio Chiellini, meaning he could not play the knockout stages and would miss the start of the season.
This would cost his nation greatly, as they were knocked out in the last 16 2-0 against Colombia.
First goal for Barcelona in La Liga
Despite facing a four month ban for that incident in the 2014 World Cup, Barcelona took a risk in signing Suarez for £75million ($103million) that summer.
After eight league games and five assists, Suarez finally scored his first La Liga goal in December as he excellently controlled a pass from Pedro, and slipped the ball past Cordoba keeper Juan Carlos.
This goal may have meant little at the time as Barcelona easily breezed past their opposition, but this goal would be the start of many, many more for the striker in the famous shirt of the Blaugrana.
Barcelona players celebrate a goal from Luis Suarez
Four goals against Deportivo
After a streak of three defeats in a row in April 2016, all eyes were on the Catalan giants to turn their fortunes around, or risk dropping out of the title race.
Luis Suarez led the front line with Lionel Messi and Neymar either side of him, and the pressure was on for the MSN trio to keep their side in the championship race.
Once again with the stakes high, Suarez rose above it, as he scored four goals and assisted three more in an 8-0 demolition of Deportivo to keep his side's title hopes alive.
The attacker took all goals in a cool and considered fashion, and once again showed why he is one of the best strikers of the 21st Century.
Hat trick against Real Madrid
There aren't many matchups more exciting than the El Clasico, and in October 2018 Suarez stole the show with a special hat trick against Barca's bitter rivals.
In the absence of Lionel Messi, Barcelona needed someone to step up and dominate the game for them.
Suarez took this job and excelled in it, as his side outclassed a deflated Real Madrid to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Barcelona went on to win the league this season, and many consider this performance to be the one that showed the difference in quality between the two challengers.
Suarez went on to score 195 goals and assist 113 more in 283 games for FC Barcelona, and in the 2020 summer transfer window made the move to Atletico Madrid aged 33.
The move upset many Barca fans and playing legend Messi, who felt Suarez had been treated unfairly by the club.
Now aged 34, Suarez is still playing football at the highest quality in La Liga, and will be hoping his new side Atleti will be able to continue their good form and earn domestic glory once again.
