LUIS SUAREZ wrote his name into Gremio folklore as he scored a stunning debut hat-trick inside 38 minutes to clinch them the Recopa Gauncha last night.
The Uruguayan striker, 35, left boyhood club Nacional in November following a short spell.
But it did not take long for him to join the SEVENTH club of his career as he penned a two-year contract with Brazilian giants Gremio.
After representing his country at the World Cup, he finally got his first outing for his new side yesterday and he could not have dreamt that it would go any better.
He got off the mark against Sao Luiz after just five minutes, racing onto a through ball before coolly lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper to break the deadlock.
Sao Luiz quickly levelled but Bitello restored Gremio’s lead and then the former Liverpool ace went into overdrive.
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He clinically grabbed a second on the half hour mark from close-range and then claimed the match ball by capitalising on the goalie being out of position by volleying past two defenders straight into the net.
His new adoring public in Gremio celebrated wildly as the veteran lapped up their adulation.
That was enough to claim a 4-1 win and clinch the Recopa Gaucha crown, the super cup tournament organised by the Rio Grande do Sul Football Federation which pits the holders of the Campeonato Gaucho and Copa FGF against each other prior to the season’s kick off.
Suarez, who now has 30 career hat-tricks, started his playing days in Uruguay before making the move to Europe in 2006 when he joined Groningen.
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His form caught the attention of Dutch giants Ajax with his goals in Amsterdam landing him a move to Liverpool.
Suarez’s only piece of silverware during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield was a League Cup, but he still scored more than 80 goals, although his time was blighted by a racism storm with Patrice Evra and another biting incident.
He departed for Barcelona in 2014 and would enjoy the best days of his playing career, scoring almost 200 goals on his way to winning 13 major honours.
His final two years in Europe would be spent at Atletico Madrid, where he picked up a FIFTH La Liga crown.
He then returned home to Nacional in the summer but only on a short-term deal.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
