Luis Suárez (Uruguayan Footballer) Biography

Luis Suarez is the star striker of the Uruguayan national soccer team who went on to play for Ajax and Liverpool before he joined the Spanish giants FC Barcelona. He came into prominence for all the wrong reasons including biting Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini, during a world cup match in 2014. However, he is still considered to be one of the best strikers in the world and has been the European Top Scorer and winner of the ‘Golden Boot’ award twice. His aggressive nature on the field has been attributed to his harsh upbringing, ridden with poverty, and a broken family where his father walked out leaving his mother to bring up seven siblings. His childhood sweetheart, whom he eventually married, has been his saving grace that had a positive bearing on his life and put him back on track. Today he is one of the highest paid footballers in the world with a net worth estimated at over $ 40 million.

Luis Suárez Biography

Full Name:	Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz
Stage Name:	Luis Suarez
Born:	24 January 1987 (age 37 years old)
Place of Birth:	Salto, Uruguay
Nationality:	Uruguayan
Education:	Muskegon Community College
Height:	1.82 m
Parents:	Rodolfo Suárez, Sandra Diaz
Occupation:	Football Player
Net Worth:	$75 million

Physical Appearance

Height	6 feet
Weight	81 kg (approx.)
Body Measurements	Chest: 38 Inches – Waist: 33 Inches – Biceps: 15 Inches
Eye Color	Brown
Hair Color	Black

Family Status

Parents	Father– Rodolfo Suárez Mother– Sandra Suárez
Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Sofia Balbi
Childern/Kids	Daughter– Delfina Suárez Son– Benjamin Suárez
Siblings	Brother– Paolo Suárez, Facundo Suárez, Maximiliano Suárez, Diego SuárezSister– Leticia Suárez

Childhood & Early Life

• Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz was born on 24 January 1987 in Salto, Uruguay, to Rodolfo and Sandra Suarez. His father was a porter from a poor mixed background having African ancestors. His family moved to Montevideo for work when Luis was seven years old.
• He has seven siblings. His elder brother, Paolo Suarez, is also a professional footballer who played for the National Football League of Guatemala. Their childhood was ridden with poverty and it was difficult to afford even a pair of football boots. However, this did not stop Luis from pursuing the sport which he started playing on the street.
• His mother encouraged him by introducing him to Urreta, which was a rich football club in Montevideo. Suarez scored a hat-trick as a substitute in his first friendly match and from there he started rising as a footballer of high promise.
• At the age of nine, while playing for Urreta, he was discovered by Wilson Pirez, who was scouting for the Nacional youth team. By the time he was 12, his father walked out on the family and his mother and grandmother had to struggle to bring up the boys. By then, Suarez was working towards a career opening with Nacional.
• He was not very bright in academics, nor was he initially keen on becoming a professional footballer. However, his family condition and the requirement to earn something motivated him to take up the sport.
• He was in the wrong company as a teen and took to drinking, but things changed when he met Sofia Balbi when he was 15. She was a positive influence on his life and is now his wife.

Career

• He played his first professional match for Nacional youth club against Copa Libertadores. Though the match ended in a 3-2 defeat, Suarez netted his first senior level goal with an impressive overhead kick. He went on to play for Nacional 34 times and scored 12 goals for them. He was their main striker who helped them lift the 2005- 2006 Uruguayan League.
• He made his international debut in football as a member of the Uruguayan team that reached the knock out stage of the 2007, U20 World Cup, played in Canada. They lost to the USA but it was Argentina that won the tournament. The exposure helped Suarez understand the dynamics of international professional football.
• After the U20 World Cup, he got offers from Groningen and Ajax football clubs to play professional football. He joint Groningen for a short while and was subsequently picked up by Ajax for 7.5 million Euros. During his five year contract with Ajax, he scored 111 goals in 159 matches for the club and was recognised as the Dutch Footballer of the Year in the very first season.
• He was next hired by Liverpool FC for a whopping 22.8 million Euros and became one of their most expensive players in 2011. His brilliance with the ball helped his team win the Champions League and the ‘Golden Boot’ for himself. He was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year.
• Luis wanted to be closer to his wife so he left Liverpool to join Barcelona FC for 75 million Pounds. He is one of their three main strikers with Messi and Neymar. After he became part of the team they registered their second historic win of the prestigious continental treble consisting of the La Liga, Copa dal Rey and UEFA Champions League.
• Suarez played a pivotal role in the fourth position finish of Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also helped his national team to win a record fifteenth Copa America and was named Player of the Tournament in 2011. He captained the national team at the 2012 Olympic Games where he scored a hat-trick against Chile. The year 2013 saw him as the star player of Uruguay in the Confederation Cup where he scored a crucial goal against Spain in their opening game. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Suarez scored his 40th international goal for his country.

Awards & Achievements

• Suarez is still considered one of the best strikers in the world and was the European Top Scorer and winner of the ‘Golden Boot’ award twice in his career. He is the only player since 2009 to win a ‘Golden Boot’ with a Pichihci Trophy in the same year, other than Messi and Ronaldo.
• He has the distinction of being in the winning team of the Champions League, Uruguayan League, Dutch League and Spanish League during his career and has received numerous Best Player awards.
• Besides being the star striker of his national team, he has played professional football for Nacional (2005-06), Groningen (2006-07), Ajax (2007-11), Liverpool (2010-2014) and Barcelona (2014-2017).

Personal Life & Legacy

• His aggression on the field has been attributed to the difficult life he faced while growing up and the type of company he kept till he met the girl he eventually married.
• He married his childhood sweetheart, Sofia Balbi, in 2009. They have a son and daughter named Benjamin and Delfina. He has always been very close to his wife who has been his strength and sobering factor.

Personal Life

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz was born in Salto, Uruguay, to Sandra Diaz and Rodolfo Suárez. He was the fourth of seven boys in the family. His older brother, Paolo Suárez, is a retired professional footballer who lasts played for Isidro Metapán in El Salvador.

Professional Life

Suárez played his first professional match in the Copa Libertadores for the Nacional youth club. Although the team lost the match 3-2, Luis scored his first professional goal with an impressive overhead kick. He went on to make 34 appearances for Nacional, scoring 12 goals and playing a key role in helping the team win the 2005-06 Uruguayan League.

Luis Suarez Awards and Honors

Club

Year	Award
2005–2006	Primera Division
2010–2011	Eredivisie
2009–2010	KNVB Cup
2007	Johan Cruijff Shield
2011-12	Football league cup

International

• 2011- Copa America

Individual

2013–14	European golden shoe
2013–14	Barclays player of the year
2013–14	PFA players player of the year
2013–14	FWA footballer of the year

Football Career

• His first professional match was against Copa Libertadores for the Nacional youth club. A powerful overhead kick by Suarez got him his first senior-level goal despite a 3-2 loss.
• His career for Nacional included 34 appearances and 12 goals. He helped them win the Uruguayan League in 2005-2006 as their main striker.
• In 2007, he played in the United States and Canada in the U-20 World Cup, which is known as the World Cup of U20 football. The USA won the tournament, but Argentina came in second. Experiencing international professional football helped Suarez understand its dynamics.
• Ajax and Groningen football clubs offered him professional contracts after the U20 World Cup. In 2013, Ajax bought him for 7.5 million Euros after he joined Groningen for a short time.
• Luis Suárez scored 111 goals in 159 games in his five-year contract with Ajax and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year after his very first season.
• The following year, Luis Suárez became one of Liverpool FC’s most expensive players after joining for 22.8 million Euros. Luis Suárez won the ‘Golden Boot’ for himself as well as for his team’s winning the Champions League. In addition, he was named the Player of the Year in the PFA and Footballer of the Year in the FWA.
• Due to Luis’ desire to be closer to his wife, he left Liverpool to become a member of Barcelona FC. Messi and Neymar are their two other main strikers. The team won the prestigious continental treble consisting of La Liga, Copa dal Rey, and UEFA Champions League for the second time after he joined.
• As Uruguay finished in fourth place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Suarez played a pivotal role. During the 2011 Copa America, he helped claim the title of Player of the Tournament for his national team, which broke a record.
• A hat-trick against Chile earned him the most points for the national team at the 2012 Olympic Games.
• His goal against Spain in Uruguay’s opening game of the 2013 Confederations Cup made him the star player of Uruguay.
• In 2014, Luis Suárez scored his 40th international goal for his country during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
• On 11 August 2015, Suárez opened the 2015-16 season with a goal and an assist in Barcelona’s 5–4 extra-time victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. His performance earned him a place among the three finalists for the 2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.
• Sergi Roberto assisted Suárez with a backheel during a 2–0 away win against Getafe on 31 October. On this day, he scored his 300th senior career goal, the 11th of the season. The 21st took place on November 21 and Luis Suárez scored twice in Barcelona’s 4–0 victory over Real Madrid.
• Suárez scored four goals in a 7–0 Copa del Rey victory against Valencia on 3 February 2016. During the second leg of Barcelona’s Champions League round of 16 ties against Arsenal on 16 March, he scored an acrobatic goal.
• His two goals gave Barcelona a 2–1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid during their first leg of the quarter-finals, but Barcelona lost the second leg and was eliminated from the competition.
• On the final day of the 2015–16 La Liga season, Suárez scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory at Granada, securing a second consecutive Spanish championship for Barça and registering 40 league goals for the season to win his first Pichichi Trophy and a second European Golden Shoe.
• Barcelona’s 2016 Supercopa de Espa*a first leg match against Sevilla, in which Barcelona won 2–0, was Suárez’s first goal in the 2016–17 season. Suárez scored a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 6–2 victory over Real Betis in the opening game of the 2016–17 La Liga season. It was his first free-kick goal for the club. Barcelona lost 1–2 to Alavés in Suárez’s 100th appearance.
• In his first 100 games for Barcelona, Luis Suárez had 88 goals and 43 assists, more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined. Ronaldo contributed 95 goals and 29 assists, and Messi had 41 goals and 14 assists in his first 100 games.
• Uruguay manager Tabárez included Luis Suárez in the final 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil in March 2019. In the opening match of the tournament, the team beat Ecuador 4–0 in my first goal. I also set up Nicolás Lodeiro’s opening goal.
• As a result of his opening strike on 8 October 2020, Suárez became the first player to score the opening goal three times in competition history (following goals he scored in 2010 and 2014). As a result of his brace during the game against Ecuador on 14 October, he overtook Brazil’s Ronaldo from the list of the most goals scored by South American players during competitive international matches.
• As Uruguay’s second group match of the 2021 Copa América in Brazil approaches, Suárez scores in a 1–1 draw against Chile. Despite a goalless draw, Uruguay lost on penalties to Colombia in the quarterfinals.

Debut International	In May 2005 against Junior de Barranquilla
Jersey Number	9
Position	Striker
Coach/Mentor	Luis Enrique (2015)
Records (main ones)	• In 2010 he became the top scorer in KNVB cup with 35 goals in 33 matches. • In 2010-11 season he scored his 100th Ajax goal. • In February 2012 he won football league cup with the club. • In April 2014 he was named PFA player of the year & FWA footballer of the year. • He has won premier league golden boot. • With 45 goals in 84 games for Uruguay, he is all time record scorer for his national team. • At 2011 Copa America he scored 4 goals with Uruguay’s Copa America win, he was named Player of the tournament. • In October 2015 he scored his 300th goal for club and country. • Suárez has won Pichichi trophy as well as his second European golden shoe, for which he became the first player since 2009 to win both awards after Messi and Ronaldo. • Suárez is regarded as one of the best striker of the world.
Career Turning Point	In 2010 in Ajax win; he became the top scorer as he scored 35 goals in 33 goals

Life Journey

Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz was born on 24 January 1987 in Salto, Uruguay, to Rodolfo and Sandra Suarez. He was the son of a porter from a poor mixed background with African ancestry. When Luis Suárez was seven years old, his family moved to Montevideo for work.

He has seven siblings. A professional footballer, Paolo Suarez, of Guatemala’s National Football League is also his elder brother. Their childhood years were characterized by poverty, and even soccer boots were difficult to afford. Nevertheless, Luis continued to play the sport he had started on the street.

His mother introduced him to the wealthy football club Urreta in Montevideo, which encouraged him to follow the game. In his first friendly match as a substitute, Suarez scored a hat-trick and from that point on, he started gaining recognition as an outstanding player.

Wilson Pirez, a scout for the Nacional youth team, discovered him at the age of nine while he was playing for Urreta. During his teenage years, his father walked out on the family, leaving his mother and grandmother to raise him and his brothers on their own. Then, Suarez was preparing for a career opportunity with Nacional.

Neither academics nor football was of strong interest to him at first. However, the fact that he had to earn an income and his family circumstances drove him to take up the sport. He was a troubled teenager who drank as a teen, but things changed after meeting Sofia Balbi at the age of 15. She has been a positive influence on his life and is now his wife.

As a child, he faced a difficult life and kept bad company, which may explain his aggression on the field. So on that day when he met the girl he eventually married, that might also explain his behavior on the field. After spending time with Sofia Balbi as a child, he married her in 2009. The couple has a son and a daughter named Benjamin and Delfina. Her strength and sobering influence have always been his wife.

Luis Suarez Net Worth

Estimated Net Worth in 2024 (Approx)	$80 Million
Estimated Net Worth in 2023 (Approx)	$70 Million
Estimated Net Worth in 2022 (Approx)	$55 million
Annual Salary	$20 Million
Endorsements	$7 million
Income Source	Uruguayan Professional Footballer
Cars Collection	• BMW • Range Rover • Ferrari • Mercedes Benz

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Amazing Facts About Suarez

• Luis Suarez is also known as the third-best footballer according to the magazine (The Guardian 2016)
• Suarez is also known as a prominent striker in football history.
• He was born in Salto, Uruguay.
• He is very popular on social media and has 16.6 million followers on his Twitter account.
• He has 39.3 million followers on his Instagram account.
• He is 36 years (as of 2023).
• Luis’s net worth is around $70 Million dollars.
• Luis Suarez also won the Dutch footballer of the year award. In many of his football competitions, Suarez scored 49 goals.
• He played along with many famous players like Neymar and Messi.

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