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After dedicating 17 incredible years to representing Uruguay, Luis Suarez has made the heartfelt decision to call time on his international career following Friday's World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

Struggling to hold back his emotions, Suarez spoke on Monday about how much thought he'd put into this move, marking a boundary between himself and another striker from his generation.

"I've been thinking about this and analyzing this.



I believe this is the right time," declared Suarez.

"I'll be just as excited to play as I was in 2007 when I played for my national team for the first time.

But I go with the peace of mind that until the last game I gave my all, and that the flame did not burn out slowly and that is why I made the decision that it should be now."

Leaving a lasting impression at his final significant international competition over the summer, Suarez indeed went out with a bang.

He dramatically joined Uruguay's match against Canada at the Copa America, coming on at halftime only to net an equalising goal in the 92nd minute and play a key role in their penalty shootout victory to nab third place.

At 37, Suarez not only entered the record books as the fourth Uruguayan to achieve eight goals across Copa America campaigns but also boasts playing in 18 matches and securing the title back in 2011.

From 2010 to 2019, Suarez was a force to be reckoned with in the striker's role, netting an impressive 303 goals, a figure surpassed only by Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who also turned out for Portugal this summer.

It never crossed my mind that my cycle [with Portugal] had come to an end," Ronaldo declared regarding his international career.