Suárez grew up alongside six siblings, with a single mother.

Suárez moved with his family to Montevideo when he was seven, and his parents separated when he was nine.

In Montevideo, Suárez developed his football skills on the streets, while also taking up work as a street sweeper.

Suárez started to date Sofia Balbi at the age of 15 in Montevideo; the Balbi family moved to Barcelona in 2003, and Suárez's focus on football strengthened as a result as he wanted to follow them to Europe to join Sofia again. Suárez married her in 2009.

In his home country, Uruguay, Suárez played for Club Nacional. At that time, he was considered as one of the country's biggest talents.

At the age of 16, Suárez headbutted a referee following a red card.

Suárez was found by a group of scouts from the Dutch club Groningen when they were in Uruguay to watch another player.