The day before what was likely his last World Cup game, Luis Suarez walked into the room, sat down and placed himself squarely in the spotlight — again.
Then a Ghanaian journalist let it all out: Ghana wants to "retire you," he said to the Uruguay forward. You are "the devil himself." You need to apologize to my country for what you did. Quite the reaction to a soccer player, even if his deliberate handball more than a decade ago is still one of the most contentious moments in World Cup history.
Uruguay's 2-0 win over Ghana on Friday, which still resulted in elimination for the Uruguayans, is expected to be Suarez's last World Cup game if he stays true to his pre-tournament pronouncement.
And if so, it ended the international career of one of soccer's most divisive characters, a player who is adored in Uruguay, who won titles at Ajax, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and who was at his height one of the best strikers in the world.
Suarez brought joy to his teams and fans, often after extended periods of gloom. With Suarez, Uruguay ended 20 years of World Cup underachievement — either failing to qualify or being eliminated in the group stage — to reach the semifinals in 2010.
He helped deliver Uruguay's first Copa America title in 16 years in 2011. He was instrumental in Atletico Madrid's first Spanish title in seven years in 2021. In doing so, Suarez also managed to regularly provoke emotions on the other side of the spectrum.