Discussing the recent years of Uruguayan soccer history without mentioning Luis Suarez is simply impossible. Suarez has been a part of “La Celeste” squad for over a decade. However, for these two qualifying matches, he won’t be available, and we’re here to provide the reasons why.
Luis Suarez has been one of the primary ambassadors of Uruguayan soccer on the global stage for over a decade. He was a pivotal part of the Uruguay team that secured a fourth-place finish in South Africa in 2010, where he is famously remembered for his handball that prevented a goal from Ghana’s.
This incident ultimately led to Uruguay progressing to the semifinals via a penalty shootout, which they eventually won. Suarez also captained his team to victory in the 2011 Copa America and delivered impressive performances in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they advanced from a challenging group, as well as in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, before the disappointment in Qatar 2022.
Why Suarez was left out of the Uruguay squad?
The decision to leave Luis Suarez out has nothing to do with injuries or a bad relationship between the player and the current coaching staff, but rather it is a decision by Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay‘s new head coach, not to call the striker.
“My obligation is to decide who I should call. I don’t want to argue why a player is not called,” Bielsa said, adding: “If I explain the reasons why I call or not, the question of explaining my decisions would arise.”
Although “El Loco” does not say it publicly, everything seems to point that the coach is looking for a renewal of the team, and to have young players. Of the 25 players called up, only 5 are over 25 years of age, which seems to be an indication of this.