Who is Luis Suárez, the bet to replace Gyökeres
He has a star's name and arrives in Portugal with the difficult mission of making a star forgotten. His name is Luis Suárez, he burst onto the scene in the Spanish Second Division and is proving to be Sporting's new hope in the lower echelons of Europe's biggest leagues . Despite landing at Alvalade on the same "level" as Viktor Gyökeres due to the financial investment made, the Colombian's task is more complicated, given everything the Swede has done and achieved in the last two seasons. What's certain is that this Suárez, born ten years after the "real" Uruguayan, promises to be more than just a Football Manager prospect.
Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, on December 2, 1997, Luis Suárez began his career in local football and, in October 2015, at just 17 years old, made his debut for Itagüi Leones in the Primera B category, the second-highest league in Colombian football. The forward eventually earned his place at Leones and, that same season, was loaned to Granada's youth team, where he arrived with the status of a promising player in world football and the famous video game. The following year, he was promoted to the B team and, in the Segunda División B (third tier), needed just two games to score his first professional goal. By the end of the season, he had scored five goals in 35 appearances and was eventually sold to Watford for 11 million.
????????? Luis Javier Suárez (22) – on loan from @WatfordFC – is really showing well for @RealZaragoza ! ????
✅ 24 starts⚽️ 14 goals????️ 3 assists???? Unbeaten when he scores
???? 3rd in La Liga 2 scoring
Responsible for 40% of Zaragoza's scoring. ????
Fighting for promotion! ???? pic.twitter.com/7r5ioVEyxe
— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) February 10, 2020
Despite the transfer, the English team opted to leave Suárez in Spanish football, loaning him to Valladolid, with whom they have a partnership. Still in the third tier, the Colombian scored 11 goals in 34 games and was eventually loaned to Nàstic, where he scored seven goals in 36 matches, failing to prevent the Tarragona team's relegation. In 2019/20, he was loaned out again, this time to Zaragoza, where he was a regular starter, playing 3,218 minutes in 38 official matches and scoring 19 goals, standing out as one of the standout players in that Segunda Liga season. In the end, Suárez was only surpassed in goalscoring by Christián Stuani and helped Zaragoza reach the promotion playoffs .
In October 2020, he returned permanently to Granada for ten million euros, signing a five-year contract. His first goal was also his first international goal, coming against Omonia in the Europa League. He was a regular starter for two seasons, finishing with 15 goals and six assists in 75 appearances, and a relegation in 2021/22. In the summer of 2022, Marseille entered the picture, paying ten million euros for him and offering him a five-year contract. In France, Suárez made his Champions League debut but took a while to adapt to French football, eventually returning to Spain midway through the season with just three goals and one assist in 11 appearances. Signed to help keep Almería in La Liga, Luis Suárez arrived in Spain in early December, having to wait almost a month to register. In half a season he scored four goals and five assists in 21 games, establishing himself as an undisputed starter.
⚽ ???????? ????????????????????? ???????? ??????????????????????????????.
???? What season brings Luis Suárez! #LALIGAHighlights | @U_D_Almeria pic.twitter.com/WZZxVPOS5t
— LALIGA HYPERMOTION (@LaLiga2) March 18, 2025
Faced with this impact, and the cost of maintaining the club, the club stepped forward and paid eight million euros, with Suárez signing a contract until 2027. His second season was much more subdued, due to a serious injury, with six goals in 15 games, and culminated in relegation to the Spanish Segunda Liga. In 2024/25, Almería failed to return to the top tier of Spanish football, but the Colombian shone with 31 goals and eight assists in 43 games, taking home the Championship's top scorer trophy. It was due to these numbers that clubs began to show interest in his services, notably in England, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. In Portugal, Jorge Jesus' Benfica had already attempted to sign Suárez, but it was with Sporting that the goalscorer would finally make his debut in Portuguese football.
Despite being a Colombian international, Luis Suárez was considered by Spain to join La Roja due to his dual nationality, but in November 2020, he was called up to the South American national team by Carlos Queiroz, making his debut against Ecuador. Since then, he has made only four more appearances for the cafeteros. Suárez is characterized as a physical forward who is very involved in the final third, but, unlike Gyökeres, he excels more inside the box and not so much for his collective play when exploiting depth. He is a more classic striker, with experience in European football and a keen eye for goal.
SPORTING: Luis Suárez closed ✅
◉ It's done, says the press. #SportingCP has secured Harder's rival to succeed Gyökeres – Luis Suárez – for €20M + 5 on a 5-year contract.
◉ StatsCard: What's most important about the Colombian's data, in light of his latest… https://t.co/sWYh0LcfrI pic.twitter.com/9SWdwmLL9Q
— GoalPoint (@_Goalpoint) July 24, 2025
According to Sebastião Macias, who coached Suárez at Almería, the forward "has the characteristics to fit in well at Sporting," characterized by being "aggressive, vertical, and unafraid to take on one-on-ones. " "He has great shooting ability, with both his right and left foot. He's a forward who doesn't ask for permission to shoot. He's a very aggressive player, very vertical, unafraid to take on one-on-ones, versatile, associative between the lines, and works deep. In terms of style, he seems identical to Gyökeres. His aerial game can't be compared, but in terms of style, goal-hunting, aggressiveness, and finishing, he's similar. I think Luis Suárez is a little more associative, works more between the lines, and can build more chances than Gyökeres. The rest remains to be seen if he can match up on the pitch," Macias explained to Renascença .
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