"He is the best in the history of Uruguay" - Darwin Nunez heaps praises on Barcelona legend after WC qualifier win over Argentina
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez paid homage to Barcelona legend Luis Suarez after the former helped Uruguay secure an impressive 2-0 win against Argentina on Thursday, November 16.
Nunez led the line against the 2022 FIFA World Cup winners played away from home. Despite La Albiceleste dominating possession, Uruguay were able to secure all three points via Ronaldo Araujo (41') and Nunez (87').
Uruguay are now second in the CONMEBOL standings with 10 points from five games, two points behind leaders Argentina.
Following the game, Nunez credited Luis Suarez for always advising him. He said (via El Pais, h/t Liverpool World):
"Suárez, for me, is a plus because he always gives me advice. He is the best in the history of Uruguay, the scorer, and whenever he has to come I try to get together with him, drink mates and talk about everything a little. Let him be."
"He makes me very happy here with all of us," he added. "You have to enjoy it because he is the best striker in the world. We have been preparing it from the first moment with a new generation. I think they have to trust us. We demonstrated it against Brazil and we demonstrated it again today on Argentine soil. I am very happy."
Suarez is arguably one of the greatest players to ever don the Uruguay shirt. He has scored 68 goals in 137 appearances, winning the Copa America in 2011. However, the Barcelona icon is no longer a guaranteed starter under Marcelo Bielsa and was an unused substitute during their 2-0 win against Argentina.
How good was Luis Suarez at Barcelona?
Luis Suarez was already one of the best strikers in the world by the summer of 2014 as a Liverpool player. However, his stock went higher when he joined Barcelona for £64.98 million on July 11, 2014.
The 26-year-old forged a lethal partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar in attack throughout six seasons, scoring 195 goals and providing 113 assists in 283 appearances across all competitions. His feats helped the Blaugrana win 13 trophies, including four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League.
Despite still performing at the highest level, Luis Suarez was forced out of Barcelona by former manager Ronald Koeman in 2020. He enjoyed successful stints at Atletico Madrid and Nacional, before joining Gremio earlier this year.