'Before the football leaves you' - Luis Suarez set to return from MLS suspension, but questions about his Inter Miami future linger

This circumstance actually began last year. Miami had a bit of a striker predicament towards the end of the 2024 season. Leo Campana had proved an excellent backup at times, too good to be scoring goals off Miami's bench. There was reason to believe that - had Suarez elected to leave upon the expiration of his contract - Campana could fill that void.

But there were two problems. The first was that Suarez kept scoring. He finished just behind Christian Benteke in the MLS Golden Boot race, and chipped in with his fair share of assists. There was reason to believe that he still had something to give in a Miami shirt.

And then, there was the far more captivating Messi effect. The Argentine had assembled all of his best mates - Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba - in Miami. They were, by all indications, having quite a good time playing football. Suarez still had some to offer. Miami had money to pay. He didn't have to walk away. 

So he didn't. Campana was traded to New England for a pretty penny. Suarez stuck around. Miami went into the season without a recognized backup No. 9 outside of the raw and unproven Allen Obando. 

A few were confused. Could Suarez last a whole season? And even if he was on the pitch, could he produce? What would the net value here be? Well, for a month, those detractors all sounded fairly foolish. Suarez was among the best players in the league for a month.

His goal production dropped off, but he provided assists aplenty, and was there throughout, pulling the strings in the final third. He developed a fine understanding with new signing Tadeo Allende. There were some far-too-early MVP shouts. Father time had been seen off. Suarez was here to stay. 

"To many he's probably the MVP at this point. If you were to gauge it, after seven weeks," Apple TV analyst Kevin Egan told GOAL in April. "Miami have only played six games - but Suarez has had the biggest impact on Inter Miami, I would argue, given the assist that he's had in games, given the impact in games overall. He may be on one knee, he may be in his last season, for all I know, but he's producing right now."

The numbers looked good. But even better were the vibes, the angles, the looks, the effort. Suarez couldn't keep up with every defender, but he pressed like a maniac. He ate up ground, cut off angles whenever he could, and routinely made defenders' lives miserable.

This wasn't the Suarez of old, but he had aged wonderfully. This was basically the most effective genre of the Uruguayan soccer had seen in years. 

But things changed. It is difficult to pinpoint, exactly, where Suarez started to struggle. But perhaps the most obvious was the fact that he just wasn't finishing with his usual clip. Suarez went from March 2 to May 3 without finding the net. He needed nearly a full month after that to find the goal again. 

And it wasn't that the chances weren't there. Suarez was getting his fair share of touches. He was averaging nearly two shots per game. Messi was setting him up. Sure, Suarez was never going to be the fulcrum of his team, but he had feasted off the same number of touches in 2024.

Perhaps that was the point. The year before, Suarez was immensely effective, but did also drastically overperform his attacking numbers. His xG - a rough estimate of how many goals a player should score based on the quality of the chances they are given - was 15.8.

And while it must be admitted that elite strikers routinely slightly overperform their xG, besting that mark by eight suggested that was a fair share of fortune involved. That is not, in other words, a sustainable mark - especially for an athlete in his late 30s. 

And then, of course, there was the incident of Aug. 31. Look back at the highlights of that game, and you can see Suarez's post-match antics unfolding before they actually happened. 

The Uruguayan was up to his usual wind up duties. He tripped defenders. He shouted at the referee. He, in effect, complained his way through 90 minutes - and was thoroughly marked out of the game. That would have been bad enough. But Suarez insisted on making it worse.

Suarez was at the center of the post-match ugliness, and had the last moment by spitting on a member of the Sounders' technical staff - the lasting image of a final that really should have been a celebration of a truly excellent Seattle victory. Suarez was suspended for six games in the Leagues Cup, and a further three in MLS. 

After the brawl, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano condemned the actions of his players involved, but also insinuated the actions were provoked, saying, "None of us likes to see this kind of behavior. When there’s a reaction, it usually means there was some provocation."

Suarez later apologized, but the damage had been done:

"It was a moment of high tension and frustration, and while certain things happened after the final whistle that should not have, that does not excuse my reaction. I was wrong, and I deeply regret it," Suarez posted on Instagram.

And now Suarez has returned. He has served his ban, and figures to be in the XI when Miami take on Chicago Wednesday night - and beyond. Miami have been agreeable, if unspectacular, without him. They were handily beaten by Charlotte, but rebounded with important wins over first Seattle and then D.C. United.

Messi has played as a false 9. The pieces have, roughly, fallen into place in his absence - even if the balance of the team is certainly a little off kilter. 

But more than anything, these last few weeks have shown that Suarez might not be totally necessary anymore. Miami have problems all over the pitch, and new holes to fill. They could do with a centerback. They might need another midfielder if Sergio Busquets is to retire - as some rumors suggest.

Suarez is not on Designated Player money, but he does eat up $1.5 million from the Herons' budget. There is certainly room enough there, and a bit of signature Miami magic, to bring in a new forward.

And for Suarez, there's a real decision. Miami can never be ruled out for MLS Cup, mostly because Messi exists and he is quite good. But they certainly aren't favorites. A glorious send off doesn't look likely here.

Other options are tricky to identify. Suarez is no longer at the European level. He has already done the South American thing. It's either accept that his time at the top might be limited, or try to force his body to go again. Suarez might have to leave the football before the football leaves him.