Luis Suárez (footballer, born 1935) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luis Suárez

Suárez with the Spain national team in 1961
Personal information
Date of birth	(1935-05-02)2 May 1935
Place of birth	A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
Date of death	9 July 2023(2023-07-09) (aged 88)
Place of death	Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Height	1.75 m
Playing position	Inside right, attacking midfielder
Youth career
	Perseverancia
1949–1953	Fabril
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1953–1954	Deportivo La Coruña	17	(3)
1954–1955	Condal	21	(6)
1955–1961	Barcelona	122	(62)
1961–1970	Inter Milan	256	(42)
1970–1973	Sampdoria	63	(9)
Total		479	(121)
National team
1957–1972	Spain	32	(14)
Teams managed
1973–1974	Genoa Primavera
1974–1975	Inter Milan
1975	Cagliari
1977	SPAL
1977–1978	Como
1978–1979	Deportivo La Coruña
1981–1989	Spain U21
1988–1991	Spain
1992	Inter Milan
1995	Albacete
1995	Inter Milan (interim)
Honours Representing  Spain European Nations' Cup Winner 1964 Spain
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Luis Suárez Miramontes (born May 2, 1935 – died July 9, 2023) was a famous Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for several top teams. These included Deportivo de La Coruña, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Sampdoria. He also played for the Spanish national team. Many people think Suárez was one of the best Spanish football players ever. He was known for his smooth and graceful way of playing.

People called him El Arquitecto, which means "The Architect". This was because he was very good at passing the ball and had a powerful shot. In 1960, he made history by winning the Ballon d'Or. This award goes to the best football player in Europe. He was the first and only Spanish-born male player to win it. In 1964, he helped Spain win the European Championship.

Suárez first became famous as a creative attacking midfielder for FC Barcelona in the 1950s. Later, he joined Inter Milan. There, he became a key player, helping the legendary Grande Inter team of the 1960s. He was very important to their success because of his amazing ball control, vision, and passing skills. He stopped playing football in 1973, after three seasons with Sampdoria.

After retiring as a player, Suárez became a coach. He managed Inter Milan three times. He also coached the Spanish Under-21 team and the main Spanish national team. He led the national team for 27 games and took them to the second round of the 1990 World Cup. He also coached several other club teams in Italy and Spain. Luis Suárez passed away in Milan on July 9, 2023, at 88 years old.

Club Career: Playing for Top Teams

Suárez's childhood home in Corunna, Spain.

Early Days in Football

Luis Suárez Miramontes was born on May 2, 1935, in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He grew up in a working-class area. People often called him Luisito, which is a friendly way of saying "little Luis".

He started his football journey with his local team, Deportivo de La Coruña, in 1949. He played through their youth teams. He made his first professional appearance in La Liga (Spain's top league) on December 6, 1953. This game was a 6–1 loss against FC Barcelona. During that season, he played 17 games and scored 3 goals for Deportivo. In 1954, he moved to FC Barcelona. However, he spent most of the 1954–55 season playing for their reserve team, España Industrial, in the second division.

Becoming a Star at Barcelona

From 1955 to 1961, Suárez was a regular player for FC Barcelona. He played alongside famous Hungarian players like Ladislao Kubala and Sándor Kocsis. With Helenio Herrera as their coach, Barcelona and Suárez won many titles. They won the Spanish league and cup in 1959. The next year, they won the league and the Fairs Cup.

Because of his amazing performances, Suárez won the Ballon d'Or in 1960. He was the first and, so far, only Spanish-born player to win this important award. One of his last big games for Barcelona was the European Cup final in 1961. They lost that game 3–2 to Benfica. Overall, he scored 141 goals in 253 matches for Barcelona.

Moving to Inter Milan

Suárez playing for Inter Milan at San Siro in the mid-1960s.

Suárez playing for Sampdoria in the early 1970s.

In 1961, Luis Suárez became the most expensive footballer in the world. FC Barcelona sold him to Inter Milan for a huge amount of money. This move allowed him to follow his former coach, Helenio Herrera. He was one of the first Spanish players to play in Serie A, Italy's top league.

Suárez was a key player in Herrera's famous Grande Inter team. This team won three Serie A titles. They also won two European Cups in a row and two Intercontinental Cups. Between 1961 and 1970, he played 328 games for Inter and scored 55 goals. On March 10, 1963, he scored three goals in one game against Genoa. This was a rare achievement for a Spanish player in Serie A.

Final Years at Sampdoria

In 1970, Suárez joined Sampdoria. He played there for three seasons before ending his amazing football career in 1973.

International Career: Playing for Spain

Suárez also played 32 games for the Spanish national team. He scored 14 goals for his country. He played his first game for Spain on January 30, 1957, in a 5–1 win against the Netherlands. He represented Spain in two FIFA World Cups, in 1962 and 1966.

His biggest success with Spain came in 1964. That year, Spain won the European Championship. He played his last game for Spain in 1972, when he was almost 37 years old.

Death

Luis Suárez passed away on July 9, 2023, at the age of 88. His death was announced by Massimo Moratti, a former president of Inter Milan. Suárez had been in the hospital in Milan for several days before he died.

Honours: What He Won

Suárez (in front) celebrating winning the 1964–65 European Cup with his teammates.

As a Player

Barcelona

• La Liga (Spanish League): 1958–59, 1959–60
• Copa del Generalísimo (Spanish Cup): 1957, 1958–59
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1955–58, 1958–60

Inter Milan

• Serie A (Italian League): 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66
• European Cup: 1963–64, 1964–65
• Intercontinental Cup: 1964, 1965

Spain National Team

• European Nations' Cup: 1964

As a Manager

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1986

Individual Awards

• Ballon d'Or: 1960 (He also won Silver Ball in 1961, 1964, and Bronze Ball in 1965)
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1964
• Golden Foot: 2008 (as a football legend)
• Marca Leyenda: 2016

Special Recognition

• Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit: 2001 (a high honor in Spanish sports)

Images for kids

• 

  A plaque outside Luis Suárez's birthplace in Galicia, Spain. It says he was "the architect of football."

See also

In Spanish: Luis Suárez Miramontes para niños