Suarez was not going to join Granada, however, as he preferred to leave Spain for France, signing for Marseille for a fee of €10 million (£8.5 million/$11.5 million) in the summer of 2022. He also enjoyed a dream debut in Ligue 1, scoring a brace in his first match against Reims to contribute to the 4-1 victory.
This match, however, proved to be the highlight of Suarez’s time at the Stade Vélodrome. He played just 10 more games – only three of them as a starter – and scored just one goal before being deemed redundant, just six months after signing a five-year contract. So he returned to Spain to join relegation-threatened Almería on an initial loan deal in January 2023.
It had been agreed that Almería would sign him permanently if Suarez helped them stay in La Liga, and although he was far from prolific, the Colombian’s four goals and five assists were crucial in helping his new side finish one place and one point above the relegation zone.
But it was only a temporary reprieve. Almería failed to win any of their first 28 La Liga games in 2023-24 and were eventually relegated after accumulating a meager total of 21 points. Suarez was forced to watch most of the season from the bench after breaking his leg late in October’s 3-3 draw against his former club Granada. Ironically, Suarez had previously scored a hat-trick in the same match, but he finished it in tears, on a stretcher.
The injury sent Suarez into a dark period, and he dealt with mental health issues in the months that followed.
“I went through depression from which I gradually recovered, thanks to work and the help of psychologists,” he revealed to The Spectator. “I couldn’t even get out of bed. I had an injury… Without it, I wouldn’t have hit rock bottom. It helped me build my mental strength. When I was injured, I felt like I had lost everything, but if I hadn’t gone through those difficult times, I wouldn’t be the player I am today.
“I wanted to change everything. I let my hair grow a little, I changed the name on my jersey (he started using his father’s name, Luiz Javier Suarez). These are chapters that close and others that open. »
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