Luis Suarez

Suárez began dating Sofía Balbi at age 15 in Montevideo; the Balbi family moved to Barcelona in 2003, and Suárez's focus on football strengthened as a result as he wanted to follow them to Europe to join Sofía again. Suárez married her in 2009, and the couple have a daughter named Delfina (born 2010) and two sons named Benjamin (born 2013) and Lauti (born 2018). He has a tattoo of his daughter's name Delfina on his wrist which he kisses as part of his goal celebration – this celebration routine is featured in EA Sports’ video game FIFA 15 as "Kiss The Wrist". On 11 July 2014, Suárez joined Barcelona, allowing him to live closer with his wife Sofía's family. On the move, Suárez said, "[Liverpool] did all they could to get me to stay, but playing and living in Spain, where my wife's family live, is a lifelong dream and ambition. I believe now the timing is right." In 2014, Suárez released his autobiography, Crossing the Line – My Story. Suárez who is married to an Italian citizen, flew to Perugia in September 2020, to do a B1 Italian language exam in order to gain Italian citizenship.

Suárez joined local side Nacional's youth team at age 14. At age 16, Suárez headbutted a referee after showing his discontent following a red card, although a sports editor claimed he "accidentally fell into the referee". One night, he was caught drinking and partying, prompting his coach to threaten he would never play unless he started playing football more seriously. In May 2005, at age 18, Suárez made his first-team debut against Atlético Junior in the Copa Libertadores. He scored his first goal in September 2005 and helped Nacional win the 2005–06 Uruguayan league with 10 goals in 27 matches.

Suárez was 19 years old when he joined Groningen. Initially, Suárez struggled because he could not speak Dutch or English, and he played on the second team to adjust to the Dutch game. His teammate and fellow Uruguayan, Bruno Silva, helped him settle into living in the Netherlands and playing for a new team. He worked hard to learn Dutch and his teammates respected him for his efforts with the language. Suárez scored goals for Groningen, but he also had disciplinary problems; in one five-game stretch in January 2007, he scored four goals but received three yellow cards and one red card. Suárez especially made his mark in a 4–3 home win over Vitesse, when with ten minutes to go he subsequently won a penalty and scored two goals. Suárez ended with 10 goals in 29 league appearances to help Groningen finish eighth in the 2006–07 Eredivisie. He also scored in a 4–2 loss to Serbian club Partizan in his European debut on 14 September 2006.

Ajax saw potential in Suárez and offered Groningen €3.5 million for him, but Groningen rejected the offer. Suárez was upset and brought his case to the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB)'s arbitration committee to try to facilitate the sale. The arbitration committee ruled against him on 9 August 2007, but that same day, Ajax increased their offer to €7.5 million and Groningen accepted.

Suárez made his senior debut for Uruguay on 8 February 2007 in a 3–1 win against Colombia. He was sent off in the 85th minute after receiving a second yellow card for dissent. Suárez played in 19 of 20 games in 2010 World Cup qualifying and the inter-confederation play-offs and scored five goals.

On 20 November 2010, Suárez bit PSV's Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a 0–0 draw. Ajax suspended him for two matches and fined him an undisclosed amount, which the club said they would donate to a "good cause". The Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf branded Suárez the "Cannibal of Ajax". The KNVB increased Suárez's suspension to seven league matches. Suárez apologised for his actions through a video he uploaded to his Facebook page.

In June 2010, Óscar Tabárez named Suárez to Uruguay's 23-man World Cup squad. Uruguay began the tournament with a 0–0 draw against France. In the second match, a 3–0 win over South Africa, Suárez drew a penalty and assisted Álvaro Pereira's stoppage time goal. In the final match of the group stage, he headed in a goal off a pass from Edinson Cavani and was named Man of the Match in a 1–0 win over Mexico. Uruguay won Group A and advanced to the knockout stage.

During the suspension, Ajax were in contact with other European clubs interested in Suárez. On 28 January 2011, they accepted a €26.5 million (£22.8 million) offer for Suárez from Premier League club Liverpool. Despite leaving while suspended, Suárez departed Ajax on good terms, and he was given a farewell sendoff after an Ajax match. During the sendoff, an Ajax coach spoke to him and the crowd and said how the club wished he could stay longer; the crowd applauded their agreement and fireworks followed. Ajax ended the 2010–11 season as Eredivisie champions and Suárez was given a winner's medal for his 7 goals in 13 appearances.

On 31 January 2011, Suárez signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Liverpool until 2016, and was the club's most expensive signing (£22.8 million) until the arrival of Andy Carroll (£35 million) a few hours later. Suárez requested the number seven shirt, which had been worn by Liverpool legends Kenny Dalglish, his new manager, Kevin Keegan, and Peter Beardsley

After a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 15 October 2011, Suárez was accused of racially abusing Evra, and the FA opened up an investigation into the incident. Suárez wrote on his Twitter and Facebook pages that he was upset by the accusation and denied the claims. On 16 November, the FA announced it would charge Suárez with "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour contrary to FA rules", including "a reference to the ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race of Patrice Evra". Liverpool later released a statement announcing Suárez would plead innocent, adding they would "remain fully supportive" of him. On 20 December, the FA concluded a seven-day hearing, handing Suárez an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine for racially abusing Evra.

In the 2011 Copa América, Suárez scored in Uruguay's opening game, a 1–1 draw with Peru. Uruguay finished second in their group and advanced to the knockout round with a win, 1–0 against Mexico, and two draws, against Peru and Chile. In the quarter-finals, Uruguay drew with tournament hosts Argentina 1–1 after regulation and extra time. Uruguay won the shootout 5–4 and Suárez converted his penalty. Suárez scored both goals in Uruguay's 2–0 semi-final win over Peru and was named Man of the Match. In the final, Suárez scored the opening goal as Uruguay defeated Paraguay 3–0 for their record 15th Copa América title. Suárez scored four goals during the tournament and was named MVP of the Tournament.

On 7 August 2012, Suárez signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool. On 26 August, he scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season in a 2–2 draw with champions Manchester City at Anfield. On 29 September 2012, Suárez scored a hat-trick in Liverpool's Premier League fixture away at Norwich City for the second consecutive season.

On 9 July 2012, Suárez was selected for the Uruguay Olympic football team alongside Liverpool teammate Sebastián Coates to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. In the first pre-tournament warm-up game against Chile on 11 July, Suárez scored a hat-trick for Uruguay as they came from 0–2 down to win 6–4 in a thrilling match.

On 6 January 2013, Suárez handled the ball before scoring the decisive goal in Liverpool's 2–1 win over Mansfield Town from the Conference National in an FA Cup third round match. Liverpool's manager Brendan Rodgers defended his player by claiming "it's not his job to own up", while Mansfield manager Paul Cox said he felt "a little bit gutted" by the "instinctive" handball, but admitted he would have accepted a goal scored like that by one of his players.

At the end of the season, Suárez was one of six players named on the shortlist for PFA Players' Player of the Year. Suárez finished second in the final ballot behind Gareth Bale of Tottenham and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. He was second-top goalscorer in the Premier League for 2012–13 with 23 goals and Liverpool's top scorer in all competitions with 30 goals. On 28 May 2013, he was named as Liverpool's player of the season after receiving 64% of votes in a poll of the club's supporters.

On 21 April 2013, during a 2–2 draw with Chelsea in a Premier League match at Anfield, Suárez bit Branislav Ivanović; this was the second time Suárez had bitten an opponent. It was not noticed by the officials, and Suárez scored an equaliser in injury time. The bite prompted UK Prime Minister David Cameron to call on the FA to take a hard line with Suárez: the FA charged him with violent conduct and he was fined an undisclosed sum by his club. Contrary to claims from Suárez, Ivanović did not accept an apology. Suárez accepted the violent conduct charge but denied the FA's claim the standard punishment of three matches was clearly insufficient for his offence. A three-man independent panel appointed by the FA decided on a ten-game ban for Suárez, who did not appeal the ban; the panel criticised Suárez for not appreciating "the seriousness" of the incident when he argued against a long ban. The panel also wanted to send a "strong message that such deplorable behaviours do not have a place in football", while noting that "all players in the higher level of the game are seen as role models, have the duty to act professionally and responsibly, and set the highest example of good conduct to the rest of the game – especially to young players".

On 31 May 2013, Suárez said he would be seeking an exit from Liverpool in the summer, citing excessive media attention on his family as a reason for wanting to leave. On 6 August, after Liverpool had rejected a bid of £40,000,001 for the player from Arsenal, Suárez reiterated his wish to leave Liverpool and said Liverpool had previously promised to allow him a transfer if the club failed to qualify for the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League. The following day, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Liverpool had not broken any promises to Suárez and that the player had shown "total disrespect" for the club. After this incident, the British press reported that Suárez had been instructed to train away from the Liverpool first-team squad by Rodgers. On 8 August, Liverpool owner John W. Henry stated that Suárez would not be allowed to leave the club.

Suárez ended the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign as top scorer in the South American section with 11 goals in 14 matches. In November 2013, Uruguay defeated Jordan 5–0 on aggregate in an intercontinental play-off to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Suárez has been widely accused of diving. His manager, teammates and various analysts have commented that this reputation for simulation has caused referees not to award him legitimate penalties. In January 2013, Suárez admitted to diving against Stoke City in an October 2012 match. This led his manager Brendan Rodgers to comment his actions were "unacceptable" and that he would be dealt with "internally" by the club. During the 2018 World Cup game against Portugal, after collisions with Portuguese players, Suarez twice acted like he had a head injury despite Suarez's head not being touched.

Due to his diving, biting, stamping, and other antics, Suárez has been frequently labelled as a pest and a cheat. In December 2013, Spanish football website El Gol Digital ranked Suárez at fifth in its list of the world's dirtiest footballers.

On 1 January 2014, by scoring in a 2–0 home win over Hull City, Suárez became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more goals in successive Premier League seasons since Robbie Fowler in 1994–95 and 1995–96. He equalled Andy Cole's Premier League record for the earliest date to reach the 20-goal mark, but set a new record low of 15 matches. His strike partnership this season with Daniel Sturridge has earned them a nickname "SAS", i.e., Sturridge and Suárez".

On 18 April, Suárez was named as one of the six players nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. On 27 April, he won the award, becoming the first non-European to win the award. On 5 May 2014, Suárez was named as the Football Association Writers Player of the Year. He finished the season with 31 goals in 33 matches, winning the Premier League Golden Boot, with Sturridge as runner-up, as Liverpool came second in the league and returned to the UEFA Champions League. Suárez also won the Barclay's Premier League Player of the Season award. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals, he also shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. On 21 May 2014, Suárez ranked number one on "Europe's most influential player" list of the year, ahead of Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a study by Bloomberg of the top five European leagues.

On 11 July 2014, Suárez agreed with Barcelona on a five-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee. However, according to a leaked document by Football Leaks, the fee was £64.98 million (€82.3 million), making him one of the most expensive players in world football history. Barça confirmed Suárez would wear the number 9 shirt for the 2014–15 season.

On 24 July, Suárez and his lawyers filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and requested the sanctions be reduced or the suspension to be lifted. The parties were heard at a hearing which took place at the CAS offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 8 August. Six days later, the CAS confirmed the ban imposed by FIFA against Suárez, who remained suspended from football for four months, as well as a nine-match ban in internationals, the first of which was served in the Uruguay's round of 16 match against Colombia in the 2014 World Cup. However, the CAS removed the player's "football-related activities" ban and was allowed to train with Barcelona. As a result of this ban, Suárez was banned from participating in the 2015 Copa América.

On 24 February 2015, Suárez scored twice as Barça defeated English champions Manchester City 2–1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie. On 4 March, he scored in Barcelona's 3–1 Copa del Rey semi-final win over Villarreal to qualify the club for its 37th Spanish Cup final. On 8 March, Suárez scored twice in a 6–1 home win over Rayo Vallecano. On 22 March 2015, Suárez scored the winning goal for Barcelona in the 2–1 victory over Real Madrid at Camp Nou. In the post-match press conference, his coach Luis Enrique lauded Suárez, saying, "Very few players can score a goal like he did, and that is why we signed him. He can decide games. He's a pure scorer, who needs very little to finish."

Suárez opened the season by scoring and assisting on a goal in Barcelona's 5–4 extra-time victory over Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, on 11 August 2015. The next day, he was named one of the three finalists for the 2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. On 31 October, Suárez scored in a 2–0 away win against Getafe after being assisted with a backheel from Sergi Roberto. This was his 11th goal of the season and his 300th senior career goal. On 21 November, Suárez scored twice in Barcelona's 4–0 away win against Real Madrid.

On 17 December, Suárez scored all three goals as Barcelona defeated Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande 3–0 in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final in Yokohama, Japan, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the competition's history. He then scored twice in Barcelona's 3–0 win over Argentine club River Plate in the final. Suárez finished the tournament as top scorer with five goals and was also named the best player of the tournament.

On 3 February 2016, Suárez scored four goals in the 7–0 Copa del Rey win against Valencia. On 20 April, he again scored four times in a match, as well as assisting three further goals for teammates, as Barça won 8–0 away at Deportivo de La Coruña in La Liga. Only three days later, he scored another four goals in a 6–0 home win over Sporting de Gijón, for which Suárez became the first player to score four times in two consecutive matches in the history of La Liga. On 30 April, Suárez became the second player in the history of the club to reach the milestone of 35 goals in a single season.

On 22 May 2016, Suárez suffered a season-ending injury during Barcelona's 2–0 victory over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey Final. The club confirmed after the match that Suárez had suffered an injury to his right hamstring, and would likely miss at least part of the upcoming Copa América Centenario with his national football team. For Uruguay, Suárez also previously missed part of the 2014 World Cup and the entire 2015 Copa América through suspension. The front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar finished the season with 131 goals, breaking the record they had set the previous year for most goals by an attacking trio in a single season.

On 25 March 2016, after over a year of international absence for Uruguay, Suárez scored an equalizer against Brazil in Recife for a 2–2 draw in the qualification process for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Suárez was included in Uruguay's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario, although a hamstring injury sustained in the 2016 Copa del Rey final on 22 May put his place in the team in jeopardy. Although he remained in the squad, he missed both of his national side's opening group losses to Mexico and Venezuela, which resulted in a first-round elimination from the tournament. He was once again left on the substitutes' bench in Uruguay's final 3–0 group win over Jamaica on 13 June.

Suárez opened his UEFA Champions League account for the season with two goals in a 7–0 defeat of Celtic; this was followed by another goal in a 5–1 defeat of Leganés. On 11 January 2017, Suárez scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in a Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Athletic Bilbao.

Suárez scored twice on 10 October 2017 as Uruguay won 4–2 at home to Bolivia in their final World Cup qualifying match, thus securing their place for the tournament in Russia. In March, Uruguay won the 2018 China Cup, and Suárez scored his 50th international goal with a penalty against the Czech Republic in the semi-finals, winning it himself when fouled by goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka. He won his 100th cap on 20 June 2018 in Uruguay's second group match at the World Cup, scoring the only goal against Saudi Arabia at the Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don to advance the nation into the last 16. In the final group game on 25 June, Suárez scored Uruguay's opener with a free kick into the bottom corner in a 3–0 win over hosts Russia. In the Round of 16 match against Portugal on 30 June, he set-up Cavani's opening goal in an eventual 2–1 victory. Uruguay were eliminated from the tournament following a 2–0 defeat to France in the quarter-finals on 6 July.

On 2 September 2018, Suárez scored twice for Barcelona in an 8–2 win over newly promoted Huesca. A week later he scored in their 2–1 victory at Real Sociedad, as the club made it four wins out of four in La Liga. On 28 October, Suárez scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 home win over Real Madrid in El Clásico. Suárez is only the second Barcelona player (after Messi) to score a hat-trick in El Clásico in La Liga since Romário in 1994. He eventually managed to win another La Liga title for the fourth time with Barcelona. However, Suárez scored only one goal in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, in a 3–0 win over his former club Liverpool in the semi-final first leg, then Barcelona lost the second leg 0–4 in Anfield to be eliminated from the competition.

Suárez had a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas, before switching to rivals Puma in 2018. Suárez starred in a 2014 advert for Beats with other global football stars including Neymar and Thierry Henry, with the theme of "The Game Before the Game" and the players' pre-game ritual of listening to music. In Uruguay, Suárez has also appeared in advertisements for Abitab, Antel, Cablevisión, Garnier, Pepsi and Samsung.

In March 2019, manager Tabárez included Suárez in the final 23-man Uruguay squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. On 16 June, he scored the third goal in a 4–0 win over Ecuador in the team's opening group match of the tournament, also setting up the opener scored by Nicolás Lodeiro. In the quarter-finals against Peru on 29 June, he had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside, and was subsequently the only player to miss his spot-kick in the resulting penalty shoot-out, following a 0–0 draw after regulation time, which saw Uruguay eliminated from the competition.

After becoming Barcelona head coach on 19 August 2020, Ronald Koeman informed Suárez he was no longer wanted, and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu had also left him off a list of players he considered not for sale in the aftermath of the 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier that month.

On 23 September 2020, after failing to join Juventus and amid accusations that he cheated his way to obtain an Italian citizenship, Suárez signed a two-year contract with Atlético Madrid.