Inspired by personal reasons, Suarez moved to Europe

CAIRO – 5 December 2017: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez revealed on Monday that he left his country, Uruguay, when he was just 19 to play in the Netherlands to be closer to his girlfriend, Sofía Balbi.

Suarez told Marca on Monday, “When they told me that I had the opportunity to go to Groningen, the first thing I did was to look on the PlayStation where they played and what shirt they wore. It was a big step to be closer to her, as she lived in Barcelona.”

Suarez and Sofía started dating at the young age of 15, before Sofia’s family moved from Montevideo, Uruguay to Barcelona.

Suarez left his childhood club, Nacional, to join the Dutch club Groningen, taking the first step towards his great journey in Europe.

Suarez added, “We've been in a relationship for 15 years – more than half of our lives. We've always followed the same path to have our family, and we value that a lot.”

Suarez and Sofia, married in 2009, have two daughters and a son. Sofia was a primary reason behind Suarez’s move to Barcelona in 2014, as she wanted to be closer to her family.

Suarez spoke about the impact his wife has had on his life, saying, “It was a very big change in my life for good. I have always said that [she] was a help not only off the pitch, but also on it. She has always guided me and I value all the time we have together.”