Luis Suarez reunites with former Barca teammate Messi at Inter Miami

The 36-year-old Uruguayan striker inked a one-year deal and reunites with former FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

FILE PHOTO: Luis Suarez played for Gremio in Brazil’s Serie A last season and tallied 26 goals and 17 assists in 53 matches across all competitions. | Photo Credit: AFP

A long-reported move became official Friday when Inter Miami CF announced the signing of prolific scorer Luis Suarez.

The 36-year-old Uruguayan striker inked a one-year deal and reunites with former FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

“I’m very happy and excited to take on this new challenge with Inter Miami. 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 said.

“I will give my all to bring joy to these great fans I’ve heard so much about while I wear Inter Miami colors, and look forward to reuniting with great friends and players. I’m also eager to meet my new teammates and coaches.”

FILE PHOTO: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez while playing for Barcelona. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Suarez played for Gremio in Brazil’s Serie A last season and tallied 26 goals and 17 assists in 53 matches across all competitions.

“We are happy to welcome world class striker Luis Suarez to our club,” managing owner Jorge Mas said in a news release. “Luis is a fierce competitor whose winning drive embodies what we want out of our players. We promised our fans we would pursue the world’s best players to build a squad that can compete at the highest echelons in the Americas.”

Suarez has scored nearly 475 goals and won more than 20 trophies in a professional career that dates back to 2005 and includes stints with Netherlands club Ajax (2017-11), the Premier League’s Liverpool (2011-14) and Spanish powers Barcelona (2014-20) and Atletico Madrid (2020-22).

“We are delighted to have a player of Luis’ quality and passion for the game join our Club. He joins a squad that is inspiring the next generation and we look forward to seeing him take to the field with both former teammates and young players from our Academy,” said Miami co-owner David Beckham.

Internationally, Suarez is Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 138 matches. He has participated in four World Cups and won the Copa America in 2011.