Luis Suárez’s return hopes for Nacional and Uruguayan football that hasn’t won a cup for 34 years

the step of Luis Suarez at the Nacional it was short: he made his debut in 2005 and there were just 34 games, with 12 goals, which marked the idyll between the striker and the burning fans. Since then, the gunfighter He was kind of an ambassador of the Handbag in the world: of his 643 professional games, only 34 have been in the club that formed him from baby football.

Suárez started young, at 19, and in his career he added three European leagues and five clubs, with the exception of the first, greats of the old continent. Groningen Y Ajax from Holland; Liverpoolfrom England, Barcelona Y Atletico Madridfrom Spain. In every league, in addition to scoring goals, Suárez has planted the Nacional flag as a fan.

Although he has not yet signed – on Saturday he was shown on the net in training in Madrid -, in Montevideo they hope that between Sunday and Monday there will be the return of Suárez.

Why national and not another? For several reasons. The first, the emotional. you want and you can. “It does not depend on the money”, explained the president of the Uruguayan club, José Fuentes, who also explained what his arrival is subject to: “It depends exclusively on him”

The contract that Nacional has ready for Suárez’s signature, has agreed on the economic aspect, the duration of the bond – which will expire in November – and the rest of the details that allow the attacker to return to Montevideo and leave for the end of the World Cup the economic opportunity of American football or another league with greater or lesser competitiveness than those explored so far.

Before the World Cup, Nacional still has 15 dates in the local tournament, in addition to what they build in South American Cup: is in the quarter-finals and will have to settle the key against Goianiense from Brazil on August 2 in Montevideo and August 9 in Goias.

And it is this tournament, more than anything else, that Suárez is aiming for. It is not the Liberators – the hook that showed it River-, but it would be a title that is not in the window of any Uruguayan club.

It is that there is no Uruguayan team among the 20 South American champions. Uruguay’s last club title dates back to 1988, when Nacional won the Libertadores against José Yudica’s Newell’s. Suárez was one year old then.

Only the possibility of Suárez returning to football in Uruguay sparked an Suarezmania among the supporters of the national team. The last local appointment of the Bag, saw Suárez omnipresent in the stands: thousands of spectators wore the mask of the scorer last Thursday in the match against Cerrito, with a victory for 4 to 0, with a brace from Emanuel Gigliotti … 9.

Not only the fans: who will be his teammates, they also used the mask. Keke Almeida He did part of the warm-up duties on the pitch with the card on and, during the match, he celebrated his goal in the same way. The messages for Suárez from the crowd and the team couldn’t be better.

Suárez, the most expensive in Uruguay

Last week wasn’t the first time fans have resorted to cardboard masks featuring Suárez’s face. When at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 he was suspended by FIFA for biting the Italian Giorgio Chiellini On the last day of the group stage, Suárez’s face was stamped on cardboard.

The penalty deprived him of the competition as they were nine games with his team and four months away from any football-related activity. At the Maracana, the Uruguayan public used the mask for the first time.

By Monday at the latest, they expect something more in Montevideo. Will Suarez-mania start in active mode? In the national team they are sure so.