Luis Suarez open to Inter Miami contract, retirement with Messi: ‘It could happen'

New York Times

a day ago

Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez is open to a renewal of his current contract with the MLS club. The 38-year-old former Uruguayan international is nearing the end of his current contract, which runs through the 2025 season.
'In football, you always have plans — sometimes they turn out well, sometimes badly,' said Suarez on Tuesday. 'But what I have to do right now is enjoy this stage I'm living here at Inter, and then, well, we'll see what happens afterward.'
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Speaking to reporters ahead of Miami's Leagues Cup quarterfinal versus Liga MX side Tigres, Suarez was non-committal about his future, but expressed his desire to retire at the club alongside Lionel Messi. The two former Barcelona teammates have enjoyed relative success together in MLS. Both Messi and Suarez have delivered on the pitch, and their stature within the dressing room and throughout the organization gives Miami a level of gravitas that's rare in MLS.
Messi has not yet signed his contract extension. All signs point to a renewal, as previously reported by The Athletic. Asked if his future depends on Messi's longevity at the club, Suarez was open about what he and Messi envision for themselves.
'I think we're both already quite mature now, and each of us will make the decision that's right for ourselves, thinking about what's best personally,' Suarez said. 'In my case, I can't say for sure, but what I can say is that I would love to retire alongside him, because we've been talking for years about retiring together. And it could happen, it's possible. But it also depends on my renewal, on his renewal, and each of us will make the right decision at the right moment.'
After scoring 20 goals in his first MLS season, Suarez, who has chronic knee problems, has not been nearly as prolific in 2025. He has six goals for Miami this regular season, but he has added 10 assists. Suarez is among the club's all-time leaders in that category, which prompted the mercurial striker to joke about his production thus far.
'I'm a generous number nine,' he said. 'But when I don't score, I still get angry.'
'But I'm very self-critical with myself, and I know that sometimes I can — not that I can give more, but that I can contribute more to the team,' Suarez continued. 'And sometimes, because of circumstances or because of poor finishing, bad moments — which are normal in football — I don't get to help in that part.'
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Suarez admitted that this season has been more difficult for him in terms of his fitness. He said that the MLS offseason, which for Miami began in November of 2024 and ended in February of 2025, stunted his fitness at the start of this season, which so far has included the MLS regular season, a Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal run and the Club World Cup, which saw Miami progress to the round of 16.
'It takes time for the body to readapt to all the physical demands,' said Suarez. 'The high-intensity training — that's when I felt it the most. After that, as the matches went on, that's when you start feeling better. The more games you play, the more rhythm you gain. That idea that playing too many games makes it harder to recover — it's kind of a myth. I never really suffered from that.'
Suarez, though, is facing the end of his illustrious career. The Uruguayan legend has a trophy case filled with more than 20 club titles and a litany of individual awards. His physical limitations are evident, but while Suarez has slowed down, his competitive spirit appears to be the root cause of his willingness to perhaps play one more season in Miami.
For a player who many thought would struggle mightily in a fast-paced, transition-first league, Suarez has quieted at least some of his detractors. Ultimately, though, Suarez knows that Miami is expected to win every game they play in. 'If we approach games the way we did at the Club World Cup, we can win the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup,' he said.
'The thing is, we're very demanding with ourselves,' Suarez stressed. 'A lot of people criticize or think that in MLS, players come to retire or to take it easy, like they're on vacation. But you can see that's not the case. I'm still swearing on the field, I still get heated, my teammates too.'
'But that's because we have that competitive DNA of wanting to win no matter what we're competing in,' he added. 'And we're always going to carry that — that's what brought us to the highest level of our careers, and we'll keep being that way until the end.'
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