Luis Suarez has hailed Darwin Nunez as a “very good kid” who will be “one of the best,” but warned his Uruguay team-mate they’re competing for a starting spot.
Nunez showed his “respect” towards his elder ahead of Copa America, as he vacated his No. 9 shirt for the legendary Uruguay striker.
Suarez has been restored to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad for the tournament in the United States, and he will wear his old number as the Liverpool forward takes No. 19 instead.
It was a gesture which, as Suarez told AUFTV ahead of their opening clash with Panama on June 24, showed the “greatness and humility” of a player he believes will become “one of the best.”
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— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 17, 2024
“He, with the humility that he has, a very good kid, said ‘no, Luis, you’re the No. 9, I’m going to respect you when you’re not there if I’m going to grab it’.
“Those are details that demonstrate the greatness and humility of a player who is going to be one of the best, if not [already] one of the best in the world today.”
In quotes carried by Teledoce, however, Suarez warned his fellow striker that he intends to “compete for the position” in Bielsa’s starting XI.
“Apart from wanting to help, I come to compete for the position,” he added, “because I want that; to play, win and achieve the goal.”
Suarez serves as a mentor of sorts to Nunez as part of the Uruguay squad, at 13 years his senior and having endured a similar pathway as a prolific striker who courted controversy.
Now 37, he plays his club football in MLS with Inter Miami, alongside former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
But Suarez’s door is clearly always open for Nunez, and he compared their relationship to that of himself and Diego Forlan when he was breaking through in the Uruguay setup.
“When Darwin comes, he asks me things,” he explained.
“At the time [he debuted] yes, I was the starter, Edi [Cavani] was the starter, but he always came, asked, wanted to learn things and that is spectacular.”
Suarez added: “Having him in front of me, seeing how he trains, how he plays each game, how can I not stop to applaud him and celebrate?
“Yes, obviously I had my time, I enjoyed it a lot and I continue to do so.”
Nunez netted a hat-trick in Uruguay’s final warmup friendly before Copa America – a 4-0 thrashing of Mexico – taking his tally to eight goals and three assists in seven games since Bielsa took charge.
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