Diaz was reunited with his father, Luis Manuel, who was released last week
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz joined the Colombian national team training camp in Barranquilla and was reunited with his father, Luis Manuel, who was released last week after 12 days in the hands of ELN guerrillas. Considered one of South America’s biggest football stars, Diaz tearfully embraced his father in the first meeting between the two after the abduction on 28 October, according to images released by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF).
“No more kidnapping,” read the black T-shirt of Díaz’s father and first football coach when he was a child in the indigenous village of Barrancas (north). On his lap, the daughter of ‘Lucho’ Díaz looked at the moved grandfather. The Liverpool winger is set to lead Colombia in a tough match against Brazil in Barranquilla in the fifth round of South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Luis Manuel Diaz, 56, was handed over by guerrillas to a delegation from the Catholic Church and the United Nations on Thursday in a mountainous area on the Colombian-Venezuelan border. He was kidnapped with his wife in Barrancas, where the family is from. According to authorities, the ELN, which is holding peace talks with the government, hired a criminal gang known as “Los primos” to kidnap the man. The woman was released a few hours later. Four suspects were captured on Saturday.
Diaz’s decision
After his captivity, ‘Mané’ returned exhausted and limping from the long walks he was forced to make through a mountainous area known as Serranía de Peritá, very close to Venezuela. He assured that he wishes to continue living in Barrancas with his family. Colombia is a country that has suffered six decades of armed conflict that has left 9.5 million victims, including displaced people, the murdered, kidnapped and disappeared. Although there was speculation in Colombia that Diaz would return to Liverpool once he was reunited with his family, the player will spend the entire international break in his country to play for his national team and will return until later to play against Manchester City on 26 November.
