Luis Suarez, only male Spaniard to win Ballon d’Or is dead
Luis Suarez Miramontes, widely regarded as one of Spain’s greatest players, has passed on at the age of 88.
Confirming his death, the Spanish football federation said in a short statement;
“From the RFEF, we want to convey our condolences to all relatives and close friends of Luis Suarez Miramontes.”
Suarez was a midfielder for Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Sampdoria during a playing career that ran from 1953 to 1973.
Nicknamed “The Architect”, he is regarded as pioneering the modern attacking midfielder role. Although born in the northwest Spanish region of Galicia, the midfielder won the bulk of his trophies in Italy with Inter, including the European Cup in 1964 and 1965 and three Italian league titles. Suárez moved to Inter from Barcelona after winning two Spanish league titles.
Luis Suarez was loved in Italy, after becoming one of the league’s most celebrated midfielders at Inter Milan under coach Helenio Herrera in the 1960s.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 1960 and was runner-up in 1961 and 1964. He remains Spain’s only male winner of the award.
He played on Spain’s team that won the 1964 European Championship, its first major title. After retiring in 1973, Suarez had three spells coaching Inter. He also managed Spain’s national side from 1988-91.
Penning down a eulogy to him, Inter Milan wrote;
“FC Internazionale Milano, its president Steven Zhang, the Vice President Javier Zanetti, the CEOs Alessandro Antonello and Giuseppe Marotta, the coach Simone Inzaghi and his staff, the players and the entire Inter world join in mourning the loss of Luis Suarez and, in remembering him, they embrace his family members.
“Saying goodbye to Luisito leaves us with a deep melancholy: the nostalgia of his perfect and inimitable football, which in fact inspired generations, joins the memory of a unique footballer and a great, great Inter player.
“We will miss him, because as [legendary coach] Helenio Herrera preached, ‘If you don’t know what to do, give the ball to Suarez’.”
