Uruguay striker joins Inter Miami & reunites with Lionel Messi
Uruguay striker Luiz Suarez has joined MLS side Inter Miami for the 2024 season, reuniting him with former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Suarez, 36, joins as a free agent after leaving Brazilian side Gremio.
“I look forward to reuniting with great friends and players,” said Suarez.
Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi described the ex-Liverpool striker’s signing as “another monumental moment” for the club.
Suarez, who has also won league titles with Nacional, Ajax and Atletico Madrid, scored 17 goals in 33 games as Gremio finished second in Brazilian Serie A in the 2023 season.
The veteran forward’s performances led to him being voted the league’s best player.
But the two-year contract he signed with Gremio in 2022 was ended early because Suarez felt he could not play another full season in Brazil with a knee problem and the travelling distances for games.
Miami – part-owned by former England captain David Beckham – signed Messi, Busquets and Alba during the 2023 season, with the trio helping the franchise win a first trophy with the Leagues Cup in August.
“I’m very happy and excited to take on this new challenge with Inter Miami,” added Suarez.
“I can’t wait to get started and I’m ready to work to make the dream of winning more titles with this great club a reality.
“I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together with our shared ambition.”
Suarez, who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation, won four La Liga titles at Barcelona alongside Messi, Busquets and Alba between 2015 and 2019.
The quartet were also an instrumental part of the Barca team that won the Champions League and Fifa World Club Cup in 2015.
Inter Miami finished second from bottom in the MLS Eastern Conference last season.
They made a poor start under the management of former England international Phil Neville, who was sacked in June, before a resurgence followed Messi’s arrival.