The Complicated Legacy Luis Suarez Will Leave At MLS And Inter Miami

On Wednesday, Major League Soccer announced that legendary former FC Barcelona, Liverpool and Uruguay national team striker Luis Suarez will be suspended for Inter Miami’s winner-takes-all round one clash in their MLS Cup Playoff series against Nashville SC on Saturday night.

Suarez was sanctioned for his kick out at Nashville defender Andy Najar during the second match of the best-of-three series, even though the action wasn’t punished by match officials during the run of play or following video review.

It’s the second time the 38-year-old veteran has faced after-the-fact discipline for his actions, after an ugly spitting incident following the Leagues Cup final defeat to Seattle resulted in a six-match ban from that tournament and a three-match suspension from league play.

With his future contract status uncertain, if Miami are upset by Nashville in the decisive game in South Florida, Suarez may never play another MLS match. And as has been the case at most stops in his career – one that has consistently featured brilliant play and erratic behavior – he would leave a complicated legacy in MLS and at Inter Miami.

He Was Key To Miami’s Supporters’ Shield Win

One place to start is with how vital he was to Miami winning the 2024 Supporters’ Shield under previous manager Tata Martino, in a season when Lionel Messi was limited to only 19 games and 15 starts. (Unlike this season, when Messi at times has carried Miami single-handedly.)

Messi still played a huge role in 2024, tying Suarez with 20 goals for the team lead and also contributing a team-best 16 assists despite battling nagging injuries.

But a closer look Suarez’s goal log shows how pivotal his contributions were, with seven of his tallies coming across four matches in which Messi didn’t play. Without those goals alone, Miami would’ve finished with seven fewer points, well short of their MLS record points total and only one point ahead of Columbus atop the Shield standings.

He also scored twice a in the season finale before Messi came on as a substitute. And that’s to say nothing of the importance of his 11 goals while Messi was on the pitch.

He Made Miami A Much-Needed Villain

One of the dangers of MLS signing a star so universally revered as eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is that his matches can sometimes feel more like exhibition spectacles than a competitive fixture.

That was certainly the case early after his arrival at Miami in the summer of 2023. Home or away, it was often questionable whether more fans were there to watch a game or simply to get a glimpse of an all-time great in action. And while that was understandable, in some ways it hurt the image MLS is trying to build as an emerging league to be taken seriously.

Suarez’s temperamental behavior shouldn’t be condoned. At the same time, his ability to be a lightning rod for opposing fans has helped Miami become more of a common enemy in other MLS markets in the last year-and-a-half. That’s been absolutely necessary to restore some of the competitive fire to Miami’s matches and has in many cases made for a better product for neutrals.

He Missed A Big Opportunity

At the same time, it’s hard to deny that, if this is the end for Suarez, then he missed a big opportunity to rehabilitate his image among.

His spitting incident after the Seattle match was right up there with the ugliest of a career that has also included several incidences of biting opponents and a controversial deliberate handball in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals.

His more-recent incident with Najar wasn’t as untoward, but it certainly put his apology for his behavior in Seattle in a hypocritical light.

With so many eyes still focused on Messi, Suarez’s MLS stint could’ve provided a chance to remind fans of his still-considerable talent while also possibly presenting an image of a more evolved and mature competitor. Two years in, the only conclusion to draw is that he’s either disinterested in such a prospect, or incapable of it.