Luis Suarez Signs to Stay with Messi and Inter Miami for 2025 Season

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
TT

Luis Suarez Signs to Stay with Messi and Inter Miami for 2025 Season

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Luis Suarez is going to play alongside Lionel Messi for at least one more year, The Associated Press reported.
Suarez and Inter Miami have agreed on a one-year contract extension for the coming season, the team announced Wednesday.
The financial terms weren't disclosed. Suarez made $1.5 million this year in his first Inter Miami season, one in which the Uruguayan striker scored 20 goals — tied with Messi for the team lead — in Major League Soccer regular season play and a team-best 25 goals across all competitions.
“I’m very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to enjoy being here with this fanbase, which for us is like family," Suarez said in comments distributed by the team. “We feel very, very connected with them, and hopefully, next year, we can bring them even more joy.”
Inter Miami set MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765) during this MLS regular season, one in which the club went 22-4-8 and captured the Supporters Shield. The club failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs, falling to Atlanta United in the best-of-three series.
The contract extension for Suarez, who turns 38 in January, keeps the Inter Miami core of stars with Barcelona ties together. Suarez plays at Inter Miami alongside Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, a group that teamed up with the powerhouse Spanish club in past years. And newly named Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano — his hiring was made official on Tuesday — also played with that foursome at Barcelona.
“In 2024, Luis brought to Inter Miami all of the elements that make him one of the greatest strikers of all time," Inter Miami football operations president Raul Sanllehi said. "He performed at an elite level for us, and we’re excited to see that continue next season. Luis was not only our leading scorer this season, but also a leader for the group. His impact cannot be understated.”
Suarez has represented Uruguay in the last four World Cup competitions. He's played for Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, among other clubs, and has earned a slew of honors — Dutch player of the year, FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball, Premier League Player of the Season and World Cup All-Star Team among them.



Liverpool Shines in Champions League, Dumping Real Madrid Down the Table

Liverpool manager Arne Slot gives the thumb up after the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Liverpool, Britain, 27 November 2024. Liverpool won 2-0.  EPA/PETER POWELL
Liverpool manager Arne Slot gives the thumb up after the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Liverpool, Britain, 27 November 2024. Liverpool won 2-0. EPA/PETER POWELL
TT

Liverpool Shines in Champions League, Dumping Real Madrid Down the Table

Liverpool manager Arne Slot gives the thumb up after the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Liverpool, Britain, 27 November 2024. Liverpool won 2-0.  EPA/PETER POWELL
Liverpool manager Arne Slot gives the thumb up after the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Liverpool, Britain, 27 November 2024. Liverpool won 2-0. EPA/PETER POWELL

Liverpool is 100% on top of the Champions League after dumping title holder Real Madrid into an almost unbelievable 24th place in the 36-team standings on Wednesday.
No one felt the embarrassment of Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Anfield more than Kylian Mbappé, the superstar added in the offseason by the storied club that also was European champion against Liverpool in the finals of 2022 and 2018.
Mbappé had a penalty saved in the second half and was earlier dumped on his behind by Conor Bradley’s superb tackle in an instant viral moment, The Associated Press reported.
Only Liverpool has started the new Champions League format with five wins and first-year coach Arne Slot's team is two points clear of Inter Milan. Barcelona is third, trailing Liverpool by three points.
Madrid is, remarkably, with three rounds left just one place above being eliminated. The top eight teams at the end of January go direct to the round of 16 in March, and teams placed from ninth to 24th enter a round of two-leg playoffs in February.
“(This) doesn’t change much, because even with a win it was going to be tough to secure a top-eight finish,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. ”It was a fair result."
Monaco missed a chance to go second in the table, giving up a lead playing with 10 men from the 58th minute in a 3-2 loss at home to Benfica. Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni scored the winning goal in the 88th.
Borussia Dortmund, the beaten finalist against Madrid in May, is up to fourth place after beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-0. Champions League standout Jamie Gittens now has four goals in five games, curling a rising shot in the 41st to open the scoring in Croatia.
The best comeback was at PSV Eindhoven, where the home team trailed Shakhtar Donetsk by two goals in the 87th minute before a 3-2 win was sealed by United States forward Ricardo Pepi’s goal deep in stoppage time.
US defender Cameron Carter-Vickers scored an embarrassing own goal for Celtic — playing a no-look pass far beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel — in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.
“One of those things,” Schmeichel said. “Cam gets pressed and he hasn’t heard me shout that I’m not in (goal).”
Congo teammates Ngal’Ayel Mukau and Silas impressed in wins for Lille and Red Star Belgrade.
Mukau scored twice in 12th-place Lille’s 2-1 win at Bologna and Silas leveled for Red Star in a 5-1 rout of Stuttgart, though he barely celebrated his goal. Silas is on loan with the Serbian champion from Stuttgart.
Aston Villa's 0-0 draw with Juventus was preserved by an excellent save by Emiliano Martinez, the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper, diving low to push away a header from Francisco Conceição.
Bradley beats Mbappé Liverpool’s stand-in right back Bradley was a standout Wednesday, denying Mbappé at high speed in a signature defensive play in the 32nd.
The 21-year-old Northern Ireland defender, deputizing for fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold, joined the attack in the 52nd to play a key pass returning the ball to Alexis Mac Allister who scored the opening goal.
After Mbappé’s penalty was pushed away by goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 61st, Liverpool star Mo Salah missed with his spot-kick in the 70th, before substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win with a header in the 77th.
Madrid now has lost three of five games after defeats at Lille and at home to AC Milan. The record 15-time European champion has another tough trip next, at fifth-place Atalanta on Dec. 10. On the same date, Liverpool is at 30th-place Girona and looks to be cruising into the round of 16.
“You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times," Liverpool coach Slot said of Madrid. “They were a pain for Liverpool for many years too.”
First wins, first points Red Star Belgrade and Sturm Graz ended four-game losing runs to get their first points and wins.
Red Star rallied against Stuttgart after the German team led in the fifth minute. The 1991 European Cup winner’s goal to level the game in the 12th was scored by on-loan Silas. He held up his hands as if in apology as part of a low-key celebration.
Sturm Graz won 1-0 against Girona, the Spanish newcomer to European competitions. It was the Austrian champion’s first Champions League game since coach Christian Ilzer left to join Hoffenheim.