Having been part of the golden generation of the Uruguay squad, the fiery attacking duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are preparing for the last finals of the FIFA World Cup.
If the 35-year-old striker was known for excelling at Europe’s biggest clubs, he couldn’t have been any less national.
Suarez Cavani is only 21 days older and both born in the city of Salto, in the north-west of Uruguay, they are the first and second best scorer of La Celeste in history, with 68 goals for Suarez (in 134 games) and 58 for Cavani (in 133).
They helped lead Uruguay to the 2010 World Cup semi-finals in South Africa, to fifth place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and to the 2011 Copa America victory in Argentina.
Diego Muñoz, ESPN journalist, confirms to AFP that they are “the best attacking duo in the history of La Celeste”.
And he continues: They put aside their arrogance, and they always put the elect above all consideration and supported each other. They are indispensable players in a generation that has given so much to the national team and allowed its people to dream.
As for the journalist Louis Pratts, author of several books on the history of football, the two stars “inspired confidence in the ability to win even in balanced matches, with few opportunities in attack. It was enough to give them the ball to translate it into a goal. well in touch “. A lot: many of Suarez’s goals came from Cavani’s passes, and vice versa.
A great example of this harmony is the beautiful goal that Cavani scored against Portugal in the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after having transferred the ball from one side to the other on the pitch towards Suárez and penetrated into the area, before Suarez raises a cross at the far post and Cavani follows him with his head in the net.
Their fourth consecutive World Cup will mark the end of their mentor at La Celeste, which saw a major change under the leadership of legendary coach Oscar Tabarez, who led the coaching staff for 15 years between 2006 and 2021.
However, if the assumption that the last World Cup of the two forwards will give a special flavor to these finals in Qatar is not their main motivation.
The former Napoli striker Cavani explained in a radio interview in Uruguay: For those who live, feel and love football, and even more so, for those who wear the jersey of his national team, there is no mystery: it is the World Cup, be it the first or the fifth.
And the former Paris Saint-Germain striker, who currently plays in Spain with Valencia, added: “If that’s not enough to motivate you, then there is a problem.
As for former Barcelona star Suarez, who surprised many by returning to play in Uruguay with his childhood club Nacional Montevideo, he has high hopes for Qatar, considering the team is of high quality.
He said about it: we have a mixture of players with experience and expertise: I think Uruguay can produce a very big World Cup.
In fact, in addition to the historic couple in attack, the coach Diego Alonso can count on prominent players in the major European clubs such as midfielders Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham, England) and striker Darwin Nunez (Liverpool, England ). .
As for whether the new generation will be able to quickly fill the void of the old guard, the answer is very difficult.
Prats says: “Preparing a duo in the style of Suarez and Cavani will be very difficult”, adding that the new faces “must continue to evolve”.
Munius believes it will be “very, very difficult” to replace the two forwards. However, he continues: There was also a period when there was no other player but (Diego) Forlan and (Diego) Lugano, yet (Cavani and Suarez) took over from (defender Diego) Godin.
“The key will be to preserve the legacy, learn to play without them and shift the center of power towards the midfield so that Valverde and Bentancur lead the next generation.”
Until now, Uruguay will rely on Suarez and Cavani for the last time to try to qualify for the eighth round of Group H, which includes Portugal, South Korea and Ghana.
