Luis Suárez

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (American Spanish: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾes]; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Uruguay national team as a striker. In July 2014, he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee reported by the English press in the region of £75 million (€94 million), while Barcelona claim a fee of £65 million (€81 million), making him the third-most expensive player in football history.^[2][3]The transfer took place after he had won the European Golden Shoe in the previous season with Liverpool.^[4] Suárez is widely regarded to be one of the best strikers in the world.^[5][6][7][8]

Suárez began his career as a youth player for Nacional in 2003. He signed for Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006 and transferred to Ajax in 2007. In 2010 he helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup while becoming the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 games. He was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year, scoring 49 goals in all competitions. In the2010–11 season, he scored his 100th Ajax goal, joining a group of players including Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten. In January 2011, Suárez transferred to English Premier League club Liverpool for €26.5 million (£22.8 million). In February 2012, Suárez won the Football League Cup with the club. In April 2014, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals he won thePremier League Golden Boot, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first season at Barcelona he helped the club win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

With 43 goals in 82 games for Uruguay, Suárez is the all-time record goalscorer for his national team. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa he played an important role in Uruguay's fourth-place finish, scoring three goals, and also blocked an extra time goalbound header with his hands during the quarter-final against Ghana. At the 2011 Copa América, Suárez scored four goals for Uruguay as they won a record fifteenth Copa América, and he was namedPlayer of the Tournament.^[9] At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Suárez scored his 40th international goal.

Suárez has been the source of much controversy throughout his career.^[10][11][12] As well as his 2010 World Cup goal-line handball, he has also bitten three opponents, the latest being Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup,^{[13][14][15][16]} has been accused of and admitted to diving,^[17][18] and the English Football Association found himguilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra,^[19] a decision Suárez disputes.^[20]