What role would veteran superstar Luis Suárez play for new look Inter Miami? | OneFootball

Uruguayan icon could contribute if he accepts a diminished role

Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Inter Miami CF is finalizing a contract to keep Luis Suárez -- 'El Pistolero' -- and Lionel Messi together through 2026.

The Uruguayan striker -- who turns 39 in January -- has been a key ingredient in the Herons' rise to prominence, if not dominance, in Major League Soccer since his arrival before the 2024 season, but he was famously a nonfactor during Los Garzas' triumphant MLS Cup playoffs run in November. With his contract ending this month and teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets retiring after the playoffs, fans and pundits have debated whether Suárez has a role in Phase Two of Miami's Messi Project.

Suárez was a mainstay at the point of Inter Miami's attack, playing 4,046 minutes in 50 appearances in 2025. He had 10 goals and 10 assists in MLS play this season, 17 and 17 in all competitions. Those totals seem low compared to his first year in Pink, when he finished with 25 goals and 12 assists, but would be more than acceptable for a backup striker, which is where I believe Suarez would be best suited going forward.

Would he accept such a role? That remains to be seen. But it's clear the Herons played the best soccer of their six-year history without him on the pitch. Suárez' famously bad behavior caused his removal from the starting lineup; the MLS Disciplinary suspended him from the decisive third match of Miami's first-round series against Nashville after he kicked a Coyotes player in Game 2. First-year coach Javier Mascherano put 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti in the lineup and the Pink & Black erupted for a 4-0 win. Suárez played no meaningful minutes as Miami outscored its opponents 16-2 in the final four matches.

Without Suárez, Mascherano paired Silvetti with Tadeo Allende on the left and right wings and Messi as a false "nine" in a 4-3-3 formation. Baltasar Rodriguez, Sergio Busquets and Rodrigo De Paul patrolled midfield, with a back line of Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Maxi Falcón and Ian Fray. Silvetti and Allende, 26, provided energy and mobility to the front line that Suárez can't, amplifying the Herons' high press and providing dangerous runs forward in transition. The word most commonly used by analysts was "balance."

Can Suárez accept a bench role? Maybe. Earlier this month, he told Kaufman, "You understand the characteristics the coach needs against certain opponents, and you try to show the most positive attitude you can for the group, because when someone is in a bad mood or angry, it's not good for the group."He admitted being disappointed that he played just eight minutes in the Eastern Conference final against New York City FC.

“... that’s the coach’s decision and I have to accept it with no problem and try to do things better to play more minutes," he said. "Also, you have to applaud and see how well the team is playing and when a team is playing so well, with a great dynamic, we have to celebrate that as a group.”

If Suárez can sustain that attitude -- and given his status and ego, that's a big "if" -- he could become an excellent coach and mentor to Miami's younger players and a dangerous substitute in close matches in 2026.