Luis Suarez fights back tears as he confirms his retirement from international football… as the Liverpool and Barcelona legend plays his final game for Uruguay on Friday

Liverpool and Barcelona icon Luis Suarez tearfully confirmed at a press conference on Monday that he will play his last game for Uruguay this week.

Suarez said he will retire from the international squad after Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay and that he will approach the match with the same determination as he showed during his first match in 2007.

“I leave with the reassurance that I gave everything for the national team until Friday. I don’t regret it,” Suarez said.

“There is no greater pride for yourself than knowing when it is the right time to retire. Fortunately, I am confident that I will retire from the national team because I want to take a step back.”

The 37-year-old, who played for Liverpool from 2011 to 2014, said he was proud to be retiring on his own terms.

Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez emotionally confirmed his international retirement on Monday

The Liverpool legend vowed it would be ‘very difficult’ for him to attend the next World Cup

“I am 37 years old and I know it is very difficult to reach the next World Cup. It gives me great comfort that I can retire and not have my injuries make me retire or not be called up anymore,” he said.

“It’s very helpful to want to take that step aside and feel ready. It’s hard because the decision wasn’t easy.

“But I leave with the peace of mind that I gave everything until the last match, and that the flame did not go out slowly. That’s why I decided that it has to happen now.”

Suarez played in four World Cups, won the 2011 Copa America and was named the tournament’s best player.

He is the country’s top scorer with 69 goals in 142 games in 17 years.

The striker was part of the squad that finished third at the Copa America in July and said his main goal was to show he could continue to contribute to the national team.

“My dream was that my children would one day see me win something important with the national team… that last goal was very nice for them and even though it wasn’t a trophy to take home, it was very nice for them,” he said.

He will play his last international match during the match between Uruguay and Paraguay on Friday.

The 37-year-old Inter Miami striker has had a glittering career in club and international football

The striker promised to play with the same tenacity as during his debut in 2007

“I wanted to show again that I can continue to contribute to the national team. Well, I won the Copa America and yes, I could have done it perfectly after that (retired), but after analyzing the situation, I want to do it with my people, in my own stadium.

“I want my children to have this experience. Saying goodbye with the people here is something I don’t know if many have done.”

The former Reds star made his breakthrough for the Uruguayan national team at the age of 19 after impressing at Dutch club Groningen in the 2006-07 season.

His debut was a harbinger of things to come for the ambitious star, who has built a reputation for controversy throughout his glittering career, having been sent off in the 85th minute after receiving a second yellow card for protesting.

Despite his goals, Suarez’s most memorable moment in a Uruguay shirt came during the 2010 World Cup, when he deliberately handled the ball on the goal line to prevent Ghana from scoring in the tournament’s thrilling quarter-final.

The striker made a brutal save with his handball on the goal line, preventing Dominic Adiyiah from scoring what would have been the winning goal for Ghana. Ghana missed the subsequent penalty after Suarez had been instructed.

Suarez celebrates his goal for Liverpool at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur in 2013

The Uruguayan striker’s blatant handball in the final minute against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup will go down as one of the most controversial moments in international football history.

Although Suarez left the field in tears, he celebrated exuberantly when Asamoah Gyan missed the crucial penalty.

“Mine is the real ‘Hand of God’,” he said without apology, referring to Diego Maradona’s controversial handball against England in 1986. “I saved the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper, so it was worth it.”

Suarez said he would continue playing for Inter Miami, alongside his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. He had already said it would be his last club after joining the Major League Soccer club last year.