Why is Luis Suárez called “El pistolero”? “Gunfighter” nickname meaning and origin

Lionel Messi will soon be reunited with his old strike partner and close friend Luis Suárez, who completed his move to Inter Miami on Friday. Born in Salto, Uruguay, Suárez started his professional career with Nacional in 2005, but it was in Europe where he came to prominence - making a name for himself at some of the top clubs on the continent.

Europe beckons

He broke into into the first team as a teenager and attracted attention from both Sevilla and Deportivo during a pre-season tour of Spain but a move to Europe didn’t materialize until January 2007 when he joined Dutch side Groningen for $1 million. The club got their money back and made a significant profit when they sold Suárez to giants Ajax a few months later.

In Amsterdam, he ended as the top scorer in the Eredivisie in 2010 with 35 goals and won both the league and KNVB Cup before signing a five and a half-year deal with Liverpool for 26.5 million euros. He ended the 2013/14 season as the Premier League’s top scorer with 35 goals - a tally that earned him the ESM Golden Shoe. An idol at Anfield, Reds fans were heartbroken when he was lured to Barcelona later that summer.

At Camp Nou, he forged a potent frontline alongside Messi and later, with Neymar in one of the most successful teams in recent history. With Barça, he won every possible honor at club level, including four LaLiga titles and the Champions League.

He left to join Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid on a free contract in September 2020 and cliched another LaLiga title before his two-year stay was up. After that, he had spells back home in Uruguay with his first club, and more recently, in Brazil with Grêmio. He’ll be seeing out his playing days in MLS alongside his great friend Lionel Messi.

Nicknames, origin and meaning

Luis Suárez has had several different nickname during the course of his career - including the classics: Luisito and Lucho. Once he was also known as El Depredador (The Predator) for obvious reasons but the nickname that has stuck longest is El Pistolero, which he gained for his distinctive goal celebration. Finding the back of the net is clearly something he loves doing and one of his most well-known celebrations, as a pistol-toting gunslinger, earned him the nickname, El Pistolero.

He has other ways of celebrating goals - one in which he kisses his thumb and two fingers, which he explained, represent his three children: Delfina, Benjamin and Lautaro and the lion tattoo on his hand which signifies his wife Sofía.

Luis Suárez is not the only Uruguayan footballer to have a gun-related nickname. Spanish football fans will remember Walter Pandiani, who was known by his nickname El Rifle, during his time at Deportivo.