Luis Suarez scores 38-minute hat-trick on debut for Gremio, he is eternal
Former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez notched a 38-minute hat-trick on his debut for new club Gremio.
Suarez was a free agent in the summer after returning to boyhood club Nacional for a year back in his native Uruguay.
He scored eight times in 14 league games to help Nacional become champions of the Uruguayan Primera Division.
But he went into the World Cup without a club, before penning a two-year deal with Gremio on 31 December.
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He made his first appearance from the off in a 4-1 win against Sao Luiz last night and didn't disappoint.
Suarez was given a thunderous reception earlier this week when 30,000 fans turned out for his official presentation and he started off his scoring rout with a glorious lob over the onrushing goalkeeper just five minutes in.
He rolled in his second after being played in behind the Luiz backline before completing his trio of goals with a venomous volley after the ball was cleared from a corner.
Luis Suarez acaba de debutar con el Gremio:
— NEKO Deportes (@NEKODeportes) January 18, 2023
- 38 minutos jugados.
- 3 goles.
Simplemente, el ‘pistolero’. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nrQIbC4eXQ
It was Suarez's first hat-trick in the opening 45 minutes since he tore Norwich City apart at Anfield in his wondrous 2013/14 campaign.
The Porto Alegre outfit scored all four goals in the first half to lift the Recopa Gaucha Super Cup title.
Suarez, now 35, played around an hour after scoring his 30th hat-trick but the first on his debut.
His last game before this was Uruguay's 2-0 win over Ghana, where Suarez was captured crying on the bench as a last-gasp 2-1 win for South Korea against Portugal knocked the South American side out at the group stages.
"I think so [biggest debut], the last time I scored in my debut was with Atletico [Madrid]," Suarez told Sportv afterwards, as per ESPN.
Manager Renato Gaucho hailed 'El Pistero' and described him as a "very humble person".
"It couldn't have been better his debut. The fans believe in him, so are we," the 60-year-old said.
"He showed what he came for. He quickly made it into the group because he's a very humble person. He doesn't want the highlights or perks, he just want to be like everyone else."
Suarez has scored over 500 career goals for club and country and it doesn't look like his scoring will stop anytime soon.
Topics: Luis Suarez, Uruguay, Brazil
Josh Lawless