Luis Suarez ends his career: How the Uruguayan striker became one of the best in Europe

Suarez's performances in front of goal earned him a move to Dutch Premier League side Groningen in 2006, where he made his debut for Uruguay, scoring 10 goals in 29 league games, before moving to Ajax for £6.75 million.

The rest is history, as after scoring 111 goals in 159 appearances for the Amsterdam club, he moved to Liverpool in 2011 for £22.7 million before moving to Barcelona and then Atletico.

Former Groningen teammate and compatriot Bruno Silva says Suarez's move to Europe was initially motivated by love for him rather than a desire to advance his professional career.

His girlfriend of 13 years and now wife Sofia moved to Barcelona for family reasons when he was just 15 and Suarez was determined to be closer to her, although he continued a long-distance relationship.

Silva said: “When he decided to go to Europe, he always thought about being close to his wife Sofia, who was in Barcelona. He was determined and played like someone hungry to get to the top quickly.”

Diego Forlan, who won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup, added: “At the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 Copa America, where we won the championship, we saw an outstanding version of Suarez. In every training session he wanted to win, to be the best.”

“Every time Suarez fell, he was able to get back up thanks to Sofia. He was motivated to never disappoint his family. Through everything that happened to Luis – from Evra to the suspension for biting to his injuries – he had Sofia by his side and she has been a support to him in life.”