Watch: Suarez gets rousing welcome on his return to boyhood club Nacional

Luis Suarez was given a heart-warming welcome by Nacional fans from the moment he landed at Montevideo airport from Barcelona on Sunday. Thousands of tricolour fans were waiting for him and they escorted him to Parque Central Stadium where he was officially presented as a Nacional player.

The forward departed Atletico Madrid after finishing his contract at the end of last season and then signed a pre-agreement with the Uruguayan outfit.

He started his senior career at Nacional in 2005 and quickly earned a transfer across the globe to Groningen in Netherlands after his impressive performances with the Bolsilludo.

Watch: Suarez being given a grand welcome by the fans

Making a comeback after 16 years, Suarez found thousands of fans waiting for him at Carrasco International airport to get a glimpse of their idol. He had to wade through a sea of fans before he could finally reach the stadium.

On his arrival at Parque Central, he found an arena with close to 50,000 fans waiting to welcome him back with gigantic tifos and flares.

"I want to thank you, because I am here for you and because I want to be here. Later they will say what they will say. I will not be happier anywhere else", said Suarez during his presentation.

"Now I want to return this love on the field with my teammates. I came because I want to win. We have to fight for all the tournaments.

"I am convinced that if we do things well we can win the tournaments that lie ahead such as the Clausura, the Uruguay Cup and the South American Cup. We have to focus on playing football and enjoying ourselves."

How did Suarez fare on his debut for Nacional?

Suarez's debut with Nacional did not end on a bright note as his team lost 1-0 at home to Brazil's Atletico Goianiense in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals. Luiz Fernando scored the only goal of the match which proved to be the difference-maker.

The former Barcelona forward joined the action in the second half and looked lively in the attacking third. In the dying minutes of the match he set up Juan Ignacio Ramirez for a finish but the ball struck the post.

The second leg will be played next Tuesday in Goiania and the Uruguayan might get to start in that match.