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Former Liverpool man Luis Suarez has left the door wide open for one last dance with Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup.
The 39-year-old Inter Miami striker officially retired from international duty in September 2024, bowing out as La Celeste’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 143 appearances across 17 years.
At the time, Suarez said he was stepping aside to make room for a new generation and because he felt he could no longer offer the same level of contribution to the national side.
Yet distance has clearly made the heart grow fonder. Speaking this week to Uruguayan outlet Diario Ovación, he admitted that leaving the national team has dimmed his passion for football and that the pull of representing Uruguay has never really gone away:
“You start thinking about it today, turning it over in your mind, and with the World Cup near, if they need you … what do you do? I will never say no to my country, never will I say no to my country,” he said as quoted by ESPN.
“I retired from the national team to make way for other players, and because I felt that a moment had arrived when I could no longer be of use to the squad. But if they need me, I will never say no to the national team. That is impossible — as long as I am still playing, as long as I remain active.”
Those comments will ignite excitement among Uruguay fans, who watched Suarez spearhead deep World Cup runs in 2010 and 2018 and still view him as a symbol of the team’s battling identity.
The former Liverpool striker also admitted that since his international retirement, his flame for football has “dimmed a little”:
“You maintain the desire, that passion for football driven by goals and dreams, and you always dreamed of being part of the national team,” the 39-year-old said.
“Obviously, I made the decision [to retire] for various reasons, but since I left, that flame for football has dimmed a little.”
Uruguay are in Group H in the 2026 World Cup alongside Cape Verde, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. Suarez and Inter Miami are back in action on Saturday, when they face the New York Red Bulls.
