Inter Miami’s new signing has been given several nicknames during his career. He’s not the first Uruguayan player to have a gun-related nickname.
Andy HallUpdate: Dec 23rd, 2023 09:12 EST
DIEGO VARAREUTERS
Lionel Messi will soon be reunited with his old strike partner and close friend Luis Suárez, who completed his move to Inter Miami on Friday. Born in Salto, Uruguay, Suárez started his professional career with Nacional in 2005, but it was in Europe where he came to prominence – making a name for himself at some of the top clubs on the continent.
You might also enjoy
The numbers behind Suárez’s Miami moveMessi and Suárez reunited: how many goals did they score together at Barça?What number will Luis Suárez wear at Inter Miami?
Europe beckons
He broke into into the first team as a teenager and attracted attention from both Sevilla and Deportivo during a pre-season tour of Spain but a move to Europe didn’t materialize until January 2007 when he joined Dutch side Groningen for $1 million. The club got their money back and made a significant profit when they sold Suárez to giants Ajax a few months later.
In Amsterdam, he ended as the top scorer in the Eredivisie in 2010 with 35 goals and won both the league and KNVB Cup before signing a five and a half-year deal with Liverpool for 26.5 million euros. He ended the 2013/14 season as the Premier League’s top scorer with 35 goals – a tally that earned him the ESM Golden Shoe. An idol at Anfield, Reds fans were heartbroken when he was lured to Barcelona later that summer.
Tottenham 0-5 Liverpool | 15th December 2013 Luis Suarez 18' Jordan Henderson 40'Jon Flanagan 75'Luis Suarez 84' Raheem Sterling 89'pic.twitter.com/BiZE1tJkag
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) December 15, 2023
At Camp Nou, he forged a potent frontline alongside Messi and later, with Neymar in one of the most successful teams in recent history. With Barça, he won every possible honor at club level, including four LaLiga titles and the Champions League.
He left to join Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid on a free contract in September 2020 and cliched another LaLiga title before his two-year stay was up. After that, he had spells back home in Uruguay with his first club, and more recently, in Brazil with Grêmio. He’ll be seeing out his playing days in MLS alongside his great friend Lionel Messi.
Goal and assist at the Camp Nou. Some things never change. Luis Suárez didn’t celebrate his goal and received a standing ovation from the fans. pic.twitter.com/ENGn8F5oXW
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 6, 2022
Nicknames, origin and meaning
Luis Suárez has had several different nickname during the course of his career – including the classics: Luisito and Lucho. Once he was also known as El Depredador (The Predator) for obvious reasons but the nickname that has stuck longest is El Pistolero, which he gained for his distinctive goal celebration. Finding the back of the net is clearly something he loves doing and one of his most well-known celebrations, as a pistol-toting gunslinger, earned him the nickname, El Pistolero.
