"I would never say no to the national team if they need me, especially with a World Cup coming up." Luis Suarez, 39 years old, playing in MLS, retired from international football since September 2024 — and still putting the door ajar.
The context matters here. Suarez didn't leave on clean terms. He took shots at Marcelo Bielsa on the way out, accusing the coach of fracturing the dressing room, and those comments lingered. He's since walked them back. "I said something I shouldn't have said. I have already apologised to those I needed to apologise to." Whether the squad — or Bielsa — has fully moved on is a different question.
Does Uruguay actually need him?
That's the real debate. Suarez retired as Uruguay's all-time leading scorer: 69 goals in 143 appearances. That's not a number you replace with a phone call. But he also stepped aside, by his own account, specifically to give younger forwards room to develop. Pulling him back into the picture for a World Cup squad contradicts that logic unless the younger options genuinely haven't delivered.
At Inter Miami, Suarez has kept himself competitive — and judging by his own words, he's not coasting. "You get the urge to keep competing. You can see it on the pitch when you still get angry about the losses and the bad passes." That's not retirement talk. That's a player who simply switched competitions.
He's appeared at four World Cups already and was part of the 2011 Copa America-winning side. The tournament experience alone would make him a useful squad option even if he's no longer a guaranteed starter.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Uruguay's squad decisions are coming into focus, and the question now is whether Bielsa agrees that Suarez has a role — or whether the apology was enough to reopen a door that closed on awkward terms.
