Following his Sunday goal for Gremio, Luis Suarez shared a message of support for Lucas Leiva.
Even though he joined Gremio in December, Suarez was reunited with his former Liverpool teammate but was unable to play alongside the Brazilian midfielder.
After a routine screening revealed a heart condition, Lucas had already been forced to withdraw from training earlier that month.
The 36-year-old revealed at a press conference on Friday that he had made the decision to end his playing career on the advice of doctors after taking some time to assess and undergo additional testing.
Suarez – who played for Liverpool alongside Lucas between 2011 and 2014 – paid tribute to him after opening the scoring for Gremio at Ypiranga by revealing a written message on his under-shirt which read: “Lucas, our heart is with you, we are together”.
Gremio’s players also wore shirts with Lucas’ name on the back, while head coach Renato Portaluppi adorned a t-shirt with the player’s name.
Ypiranga went on to win 2-1 in the first leg of their Campeonato Gaucho semi-final through a 96th-minute penalty from Erick, with the second leg due to take place at Arena do Gremio on Saturday.
⏸️ Fim do primeiro tempo:
— Grêmio FBPA (@Gremio) March 19, 2023
Ypiranga 0x1 #Grêmio
🇪🇪 #YPIxGRE #Gauchão2023 pic.twitter.com/AvGfwgjVCv