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"this will be my last game for the national team." on the morning of september 3rd, beijing time, 37-year-old uruguayan star suarez announced at a press conference that the world cup qualifier between uruguay and paraguay on september 7th, beijing time, will be his "farewell match" for his national team career.

suarez said emotionally at the press conference that it was a difficult decision to quit the national team and his children did not agree. the 37-year-old veteran said with tears in his eyes: "i like to be with my children, but today, i asked them not to be there because i didn't want them to experience this moment. (the match against paraguay) will have a farewell ceremony and it will be better for them to see that moment."

shortly after suarez announced his retirement from the national team, the uruguayan men's football team sent him blessings on its official social media account and released a video of him participating in training. suarez immediately left a message under the video saying: "i really don't want to cry (at this time)."

in february 2007, suarez made his debut for the senior national team as a substitute in the 85th minute of uruguay's 3-1 friendly win over colombia. in the following decade, suarez played 142 games for uruguay, contributing 69 goals and 39 assists, making him the team's top scorer. during this period, he participated in four world cups in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, as well as four copa americas. among them, suarez and his teammates' best performance in the world cup was fourth place in 2010. in 2011, he won the copa america with uruguay.

in addition to his outstanding performances such as goals and assists, suarez also left many "classic scenes" in the national team - in the last moments of overtime in the quarter-finals of the 2010 world cup in south africa, suarez blocked ghana's sure-fire shot with both hands on the goal line, and used a red card to help the team persist until the penalty shootout and narrowly pass it; in the group match against italy in the 2014 world cup in brazil, he bit the opponent's defender chiellini's shoulder directly after the confrontation.

suarez currently plays for the uruguayan team inter miami with his old friend messi. the inter club also paid tribute to the uruguayan legend on its official social media account, "what a brilliant national team career this has been. the 'legacy' you left in the uruguayan team will live forever."

source: beijing sports

reporter: zhao xiaosong