Luis Suarez has long been considered one of the most prolific strikers of his generation, and in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, he has another chance to make history. As Inter Miami prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, the Uruguayan legend took a moment to reflect on PSG’s head coach — and his former manager — Luis Enrique.
After dominating at Liverpool, Suarez joined FC Barcelona in July 2014, just one month after Luis Enrique took over as manager of the Catalan giants. Together, they helped build the iconic “MSN” trio with Lionel Messi and Neymar, a partnership that led to Barça’s treble in 2015 — including Suarez’s only UEFA Champions League title.
Now, nearly a decade later, Suarez is set to face his former coach once again. Speaking at a press conference after Inter Miami’s 2–2 draw with Palmeiras, he reflected on the reunion:
“For me, Luis Enrique, along with Maestro (Oscar) Tabarez with the national team, were the most important coaches of my career. We know how tough it is to play against the reigning Champions League winners, and it’s going to be very difficult, very challenging, but we have our own weapons to compete,” the striker admitted, praising the work Luis Enrique has done.
Suarez also delivered a clear message to his teammates, warning that any missteps — like the late errors against Palmeiras — could prove costly.: “We need to try to correct some of the mistakes we sometimes make, because in matches like the one against Paris, those mistakes can be very costly — the margin for error is very small.”
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Suarez on Luis Enrique’s evolution
While Suarez reached the peak of his playing career at Barcelona, Luis Enrique’s coaching journey continued to flourish. After leading Spain’s national team and now guiding PSG to the top of European football once again, Enrique’s growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by his former striker.
“As the years go by, coaches evolve and improve certain things. I don’t know what Luis Enrique’s day-to-day work is like now, but I’m sure he’s evolved a great deal. He studies the opponent a lot — the players, their characteristics. He’s a coach who had a big influence on me.“
Suarez went on to detail how Luis Enrique changed the way he approached the game. “I already had a competitive DNA, but he instilled it in me even more. He taught me how to move in areas where I had to fulfill a role I wasn’t used to — not touching the ball too much. I had to occupy a space inside the box, initiate the press — all things I wasn’t very familiar with. On a personal level, my relationship with him is one of great respect and admiration for what he brought to us as players,” he concluded.
