Barcelona and Spain legend, Luis Suárez dies at 88
Milan (FCB) – Barcelona and Spain legend, Luis Suárez Miramontes, has passed away aged 88.
Luisito, as he was fondly called, died on Sunday, July 9, 2023.
The former Inter Milan midfielder is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish footballers of all-time.
He is also the only Spanish male Ballon d’Or winner.
Inter Milan mourned their former star and manager in a statement released via the club website on Sunday morning.
The statement partly read: “Saying goodbye to Luisito leaves us with a deep melancholy: the nostalgia of his perfect and inimitable football, which in fact inspired generations, joins the memory of a unique footballer and a great, great Inter player.”
FC Barcelona also mourned the legend in a tweet.
Luisito Suárez, culer from 1954 to 1961, was a key player for Barça in the second half of the 1950s and won the Ballon d'Or in 1960.https://t.co/eZ1pGjx1Gc
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 9, 2023
When he start his professional Career ?
He joined FC Barcelona from Deportivo La Coruña, his debut for the Club coming on May 2 1954, his 19th birthday. Suárez was a left-sided central midfielder with the full package of football skills, including superb technique, expert ball manipulation, an outstanding reading of the game, and a fantastic shot.
However, he mainly stood out for the elegant way he played the game. Barça’s coach at the time, Helenio Herrera (1958-60), owes a significant part of his achievements to the exploits of the Galician midfielder, nicknamed ‘The Architect’.
His 253 games for Barça saw him score 141 goals, winning two Liga titles (1958/59 and 1959/60), two Spanish Cups (1956/57 and 1958/59), two Fairs Cups (1957/58 and 1959/60), and the Ballon D’Or (1960).
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In 1961, and not long after winning the prestigious individual award, the Club’s financial difficulties led to his transfer to Inter Milan for 25 million Spanish pesetas.
His spell at the Italian side was very fruitful, winning two European Cups, among other trophies. No other Spanish player had shone so brightly when playing abroad, apart from the nationalised Alfredo Di Stéfano. He joined Sampdoria in 1970, going on to retire three years later. He played his final game for the Spanish national side – a goalless draw against Greece – on April 12 1972, aged almost 37 years old.
Suárez earned 32 caps between 1957 and 1972, which included winning the European Cup with Spain in 1964. He coached the national side at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, before later joining the Inter Milan coaching staff.
