Football News: 16 years after leaving Nacional, Luis Suarez returns to his boyhood club
Luis Suarez has said that he has reached a pre-contract agreement with Nacional, his childhood club. He stated that he has already signed a pre-agreement and anticipates finalising the move in a video message to followers on Tuesday
Luis SuarezSuarez, 35, left Atletico Madrid after the last campaign after his contract at the Wanda Metropolitano ran out.
The former Barcelona striker was reportedly interested in a move to MLS and was also considered by Premier League team Aston Villa. Still, he ultimately decided to return to Nacional, where his career started.
The player said he had received several offers from MLS clubs, and there had been talking about Suarez moving to the United States.
However, he consistently stated that preparing for Qatar was of utmost importance. He claimed that, before the competition, it would not be helpful for him if MLS clubs that do not advance to the playoffs ended their seasons in early October.
Luis Suarez announces Nacional news
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for the love that myself and my family have received in the last few days," Suarez said. "It's been incredible and emotional, all of the videos and messages that we've received. That really touched our hearts at a time when we had to make a decision."
"So, it was impossible to reject this opportunity and return to Nacional. We have a pre-contract with the club and we hope that in the next few hours we can finalise details and reach the agreement that we all want," Suarez continued. "I hope to enjoy this new stage and I hope to see you all soon."
Suarez progressed through Nacional's divisions before making his first-team debut at 18 in 2005.
The forward ended an extremely successful stint in La Liga by leaving Atletico Madrid at the end of the previous campaign. During his tenure in Europe, he also had remarkable experiences at Barcelona, Liverpool, Ajax, and Groningen.
After helping Nacional win the Uruguayan Primera Division with ten goals in 27 league games, he moved to Europe with Groningen in the Netherlands.
Before joining Ajax, Suarez played for Groningen for a year. His stellar play over three and a half seasons with the Dutch powerhouses led to a transfer to Liverpool, where he continued to shine.
The Uruguayan international had six incredibly successful seasons with Barcelona after scoring 82 goals in 132 games for Liverpool.
Suarez joined La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid after Barcelona's financial problems, where he won the Spanish championship in 2020–21.
Suarez, 35, who was not offered a new contract by Atletico this summer, became a free agent and has decided to return to Nacional on a free transfer, 16 years after initially abandoning his childhood team.
The two parties have a pre-contractual agreement in place, and Suarez discussed what it felt like to play for Nacional once more.
Nacional also confirmed the pre-agreement on their own Twitter account.
Suarez will compete against Nacional, a team that competes in Uruguay's Primera Division and bears the same name as Liverpool's South American counterparts.
Suarez is the most recent ex-Red to make a comeback to a former team; others who have done so this summer include Pepe Reina (Villarreal), Joe Allen (Swansea), and Lucas Leiva (Gremio).
Suarez has 132 caps for Uruguay on the international stage and is their all-time leading scorer with 68 goals.
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