Inter Miami Sign Former Barca Striker Suarez

Football - Gremio's Luis Suarez Farewell - Aeropuerto Internacional Salgado Filho, Porto Alegre, Brazil - December 8, 2023 Luis Suarez poses with a Uruguay flag outside the airport. (Reuters)
Football - Gremio's Luis Suarez Farewell - Aeropuerto Internacional Salgado Filho, Porto Alegre, Brazil - December 8, 2023 Luis Suarez poses with a Uruguay flag outside the airport. (Reuters)
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Inter Miami Sign Former Barca Striker Suarez

Football - Gremio's Luis Suarez Farewell - Aeropuerto Internacional Salgado Filho, Porto Alegre, Brazil - December 8, 2023 Luis Suarez poses with a Uruguay flag outside the airport. (Reuters)
Football - Gremio's Luis Suarez Farewell - Aeropuerto Internacional Salgado Filho, Porto Alegre, Brazil - December 8, 2023 Luis Suarez poses with a Uruguay flag outside the airport. (Reuters)

The long-awaited reunion of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi is now a reality, after the Uruguayan striker signed with Inter Miami on Friday for the 2024 season.

Suarez and Messi spent six seasons together at Barcelona, winning four Spanish league titles and nine other trophies — including a Champions League title — in that span. Suárez is coming off a season where he was best player and best striker in the Brazilian league with Gremio.

“I’m very happy and excited to take on this new challenge with Inter Miami,” Suarez said. "I can’t wait to get started, and I’m ready to work to make the dream of winning more titles with this great club a reality. I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together with our shared ambition.”

There had been speculation for months that Suarez would join Inter Miami, especially given his relationship with Messi. Inter Miami won its first trophy — the Leagues Cup — last season shortly after Messi arrived, his signing part of an overhaul that brought elite talent like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to the club, along with coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Busquets and Alba also played for Barcelona alongside Messi, and Martino is a former Barcelona coach.

Now, Suarez joins that mix.

“I will give my all to bring joy to these great fans I’ve heard so much about while I wear Inter Miami colors, and look forward to reuniting with great friends and players,” Suarez said. “I’m also eager to meet my new teammates and coaches.”



Sabalenka in No Mood to Relax after Zheng’s Early Exit

This hand out picture released by the Tennis Australia on January 15, 2025 shows Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka speaks at a press conference after her women's singles match against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Vince Caligiuri/Tennis Australia / AFP)
This hand out picture released by the Tennis Australia on January 15, 2025 shows Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka speaks at a press conference after her women's singles match against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Vince Caligiuri/Tennis Australia / AFP)
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Sabalenka in No Mood to Relax after Zheng’s Early Exit

This hand out picture released by the Tennis Australia on January 15, 2025 shows Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka speaks at a press conference after her women's singles match against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Vince Caligiuri/Tennis Australia / AFP)
This hand out picture released by the Tennis Australia on January 15, 2025 shows Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka speaks at a press conference after her women's singles match against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Vince Caligiuri/Tennis Australia / AFP)

Aryna Sabalenka said early exits by big names at the Australian Open would not make her title defense any easier after the top seed saw one of her main title rivals go out in the second round with Zheng Qinwen's defeat by world number 97 Laura Siegemund.

Sabalenka sealed a battling 6-3 7-5 victory over Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Wednesday shortly before fifth seed Zheng, who lost to the Belarusian in last year's final, crashed out 7-6(3) 6-3.

Zheng's exit leaves Sabalenka with one less seed to worry about but the three-times Grand Slam champion said it made little difference in such a competitive field.

"Listen, it's a slam, you know? Not everyone can handle these emotions," Sabalenka told reporters.

"As you can see, there are so many players who are playing really well in these conditions. It's not like if they're gone, it's easy for me. No, it's not.

"I have to go there, I have to compete, I have to fight. Today's match proved that. Girls can go there and just play without any fear, without anything to lose.

"They can put you in really uncomfortable positions."

Sabalenka was feeling the pressure in her own match and trailed 5-2 at one point in the second set against Bouzas Maneiro, who stunned Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the opening round at the All England Club last year.

"I definitely didn't want a third set. Who wants it? But at that moment I didn't really want to get bothered by that and let go of the set," said Sabalenka, who is bidding to become the first woman to win three successive titles at Melbourne Park since Martina Hingis from 1997-99.

"I told myself, 'OK, let's go play a third' and I somehow mentally prepared myself for that, tried to find my serve to not to give her too many chances.

"Then somehow it seemed to me that she got tense when it got to 5-3 and I felt there was an opportunity. I'm very glad that I managed to finish in two sets.

"I didn't really want to get too physically exhausted in the second round."

Up next for Sabalenka is Dane Clara Tauson, who won the Auckland title in the build-up to the Australian Open after Naomi Osaka retired injured.