Luis Suarez and the muscle memory of hundreds of previous finishes

New York Times

3 hours ago

In Any Given Sunday, Tony D'Amato, the head coach of the once-great Miami Sharks American football team, tells his players that 'when you get old in life things get taken from you.' D'Amato, played by Al Pacino, was looking at Willie Beamen when making his rousing Inches speech. Not Inter Miami's Luis Suarez.
Advertisement
But Suarez, now 38, has had things taken from him. He has lost a step. Maybe more. His pace isn't what it used to be. Father Time has placed a hand on Suarez's shoulder, holding him back, an invisible shirt pull. And so he trundles around, clunky, awkward, moving fast but running slow, the same player, just in an older body.
Suarez had not scored going into Inter Miami's final game of the Club World Cup group stage against Palmeiras. Other players had been prettier in pink — players who carried far less expectation. Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari surprised everyone against Al Ahly in the tournament's curtain raiser. His saves kept Inter Miami in a game they could have lost. Then against Porto in Atlanta, Telasco Segovia hit the roof of the net like a kicker practicing to come on in the NFL. He began the comeback. Lionel Messi finished it with a free-kick so precise it could have passed through the middle of the, once opened, Club World Cup trophy.
Suarez, by contrast, had not conjured a moment of equivalent significance. It raised questions about Inter Miami's squad building. Javier Mascherano, the coach, had complained before the Al Ahly game: 'We've been saying for two months that we clearly needed to strengthen the squad. After this competition, everyone will have to take responsibility.'
How could they reinforce it though? The club has signed Messi's friends; Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The benefit is it keeps him happy. The cost is salary cap restrictions give Inter Miami little room to maneuver when it comes to adding depth. And so the dependence on these guys to win games only increases; and winning any game at their age isn't easy.
Before Inter Miami played Palmeiras, Mascherano defended Suarez's start to the Club World Cup. Could they carry him? Wasn't it time to move on?
'Obviously, I'm not going to stand here describing who Luis Suarez is — not only what he's done in his career but also what he means to the club, not just the team,' Mascherano said. 'And beyond the fact that, of course, strikers are often judged by their goals… In our case, Luis does a very important job both with and without the ball.'
Advertisement
How important came to the fore against Palmeiras. Instincts don't snap or feel the strain. Intuition doesn't tear or break. Ideas don't get slow. They come as quickly at 38 as at 18 and many of them were running through Suarez's head in Miami Gardens.
Palmeiras didn't think as rapidly. First Suarez chested down a clearance to put Tadeo Allende through on goal for Miami's opener. The simplicity of it caught Palmeiras out so badly Murilo, the team's centre-back, pulled up with a muscle injury in pursuit of Allende.
Then, in the second half, Suarez released Allende into space again. Rather than carry the ball himself, he let others chase after it. A throw-in led to a deliciously struck first-time pass and Allende really should have done better. At times, it felt as if Suarez was trying out to be the Dolphins' new quarterback.
Later, he scored a scruffy throwback goal, clattering between a couple of Palmeiras players and body-swerving another before beating the goalkeeper. He rode his luck but the coordination he showed when the ball kicked up off the last man was a reminder of the muscle memory of hundreds of previous finishes.
Vintage Luis Suarez 🔥
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld pic.twitter.com/56543Zw5Bh
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 24, 2025
Among the things life has taken from Suarez, his craft and guile, heart and determination, that garra charrua are still very much with him. They were found on show against Palmeiras.
In the end, however, Palmeiras came back to draw 2-2 and win the group. Their youth proved decisive, as did the squad depth funded by the sales of Endrick and Vitor Reis —not to mention Estevao's impending move to Chelsea.
It means that instead of playing Copa Libertadores victors Botofogo in the next round, Inter Miami must now reckon with Champions League winners PSG. It's a tie that pits Suarez and Messi against Luis Enrique, their old manager. It is not a favourable match-up. It could be a blur.
Suarez fleetingly turned back the clock against Palmeiras. He will probably need a time machine to knock out PSG.