Born Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz on the 24th January 1987 in Salto, Uruguay, he is one of the most prolific strikers in the game of soccer, winning a number of prestigious awards for his achievements, including several Player of the Year awards, while he has also won La Liga, and Eredivisie, among other honors. He currently plays for the Spanish giant, Barcelona.
Have you ever wondered how rich Luis Suarez is, as of early 2018? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Suarez’ net worth is as high as $40 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a soccer player, active since 2005.
Luis Suarez Net Worth $40 Million
Luis is of mixed ancestry, and according to reports, he even has a black heritage; he is the fourth of seven boys, born into a rather poor family. They moved to Montevideo when Luis was seven years old, but after a couple of years of tough life, his parents divorced. He honed his skills playing football on the streets of Montevideo, then once old enough he found work as a street sweeper, as he had to contribute to his ever-struggling family. He met his future wife when he was 15, as her family took him under their wing, but after a year her family moved to Barcelona, Spain, and Luis had to find some other place to live. He signed his first professional contract at the age 18 with Nacional, for which he played for two years in the youth system. After one extremely successful season at Nacional, Lusi attracted attention from Dutch scouts, and at the end of the season he was bought by Groningen, but not before he won the Uruguayan league trophy with Nacional, scoring 10 goals along the way.
Luis’ face seared with a smile following the move to Europe, as he was now closer to his girlfriend, with whom he had remained in a relationship, despite her move to Spain. However, he took time to settle in the Netherlands, since he didn’t know the language, but thanks to his teammate and countryman Bruno Silva, Luis adapted to life in the Netherlands, and started taking language lessons. In his debut season for Groningen, Luis went on to score ten goals, but had a lot of problems with discipline, as he received one red and seven yellow cards.
After the transfer window opened for Dutch clubs, Lusi became a highly sought-after player, and Groningen received an offer for him from Ajax, worth €3.5 million. However, the initial offer was rejected by the Groningen officials, but Luis, displeased with their decision took the case to the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB)’s arbitration committee to try to facilitate the sale. He wasn’t successful, but Ajax sent another offer, this time worth €7.5 million, which this time was accepted.
He signed a five-year contract with Ajax, and in the first season notched 17 goals in 33 games, but that wasn’t enough for Ajax to win the title, as they finished second. He managed to continue with his great form, and help bring Ajax the Eredivisie title in a 2010-2011 season, in which he scored only seven goals, and played in 13 games, mostly because of his suspension following a biting incident, when he bit PSV’s Otman Bakkal on the shoulder. He was sold during the mid-season break, but eventually received his winner’s medal.
He joined Liverpool in the English Premier League in January 2011, and signed a five-year contract, which increased his net worth to a large degree. In his first two seasons in Liverpool, Lusi didn’t have much success, but that changed starting with the 2012-2013 season, in which he scored 23 goals in 33 games and helped Liverpool reach seventh place in the League, and the next season Luis scored 31 league goals in 33 appearances, pushing Liverpool towards a title, but they came in second, just two points behind crowned champions, Manchester City. Thanks to his successful performance on the field, Luis received a number of awards, including the European Golden Shoe, Liverpool Top Goalscorer and Player of the Year, while he was named Premier League Player of the Season for 2013-2014, and several other honors.
However, Luis had more controversy, as in April 2013 he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanović, for which he received a 10 match ban, though the referee of the match didn’t even see the incident. Also, during the World Cup 2014, Luis bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini, for which offence Luis’ fine was more drastic than the others; he received a worldwide football ban from all football-related activities totaling four months, plus nine international matches, as well as a fine of £66,000.
With the fine still active, Liverpool sold Suarez to Barcelona for €82.3 million; he missed the first part of the season, but after that returned to the field, and with Leo Messi and Neymar formed one of the most successful trios in the history of football. So far he has scored 135 goals for Barcelona in 172 games, and has won a number of honors and awards, both individually and at club level. With Barcelona, he was the champion of La Liga in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, won the Copa del Rey on three occasions, and added the UEFA Champions League trophy to his collection in the 2014-2015 season.
Aside from his club career, Luis has also been successful in the national team; with Uruguay, he won the Copa America in 2011, and so far has played in 95 games, scoring 49 goals.
When it comes to his personal life, Luis and his longtime girlfriend Sofia Balbi married in 2009; the couple has two children.
