Liverpool: Luis Diaz, an enchanted parenthesis in the heart of anxiety!

Much more than just a goal. Sunday afternoon, while Liverpool had a very poor start against promoted Luton during the 11th day of the Premier League, Luis Díaz (26 years old) put on the savior costume. Coming into play in the 84th minute, the Colombian striker allowed his team to snatch the point of the draw with a beautiful header in added time (90+5th). A very valuable achievement allowing the Reds to maintain their place on the podium. A goal also very symbolic in view of the nightmare currently going through the native of Barrancas.

Luis Díaz dedicates his goal to his father!

As a reminder, the parents of the Colombian international (43 caps, 9 goals) were kidnapped on October 28 in a gas station in the family’s hometown, near the border with Venezuela, by armed men traveling a motorcycle. Although Luis Diaz’s mother has since been released by the police, the Colombian authorities are still looking for his father. Recently, the government provided new information through a press release. “Today we officially know that the kidnapping was carried out by a unit belonging to the ELN”, the last guerrilla still active in Colombia. For his part, Antonio Garcia, commander of this armed unit, also spoke via his Telegram channel, indicating that he regretted this kidnapping: “The retention of Luis Diaz’s father by the Northern War Front was a mistake. Lucho is a symbol of Colombia, that’s what we think of him within the ELN. We hope that the operational situation on the ground can be resolved, these are the guidelines that commanders must follow to accelerate the release“, he confided.

In this context as heavy as it is distressing, the former Porto player therefore returned to the field, he who had logically missed his team’s last two matches, against Nottingham Forest (3-0) and Bournemouth (2-1) , due to his very complicated personal situation. A successful and moving comeback. Just after deceiving Thomas Kaminski, the 1m80 right-hander decided to pay a vibrant tribute to his father by lifting his jersey to reveal a message “Libertad para papa (freedom for dad, in Spanish)” on his t-shirt. Just three days after his return to training, the number 7 of the Reds allowed his team to limit the damage, even if he still remains in the anguish of a stretching captivity.

Jürgen Klopp recalls the essentials!

“It’s not the player who speaks. Today it is Lucho Díaz, the son of Luís Manuel Díaz. Mane, my father, hard worker, pillar of the family… He is now kidnapped. I ask the ELN to release my father as soon as possible. I also ask international associations to work to guarantee his freedom. Every second, every minute, we are more worried. We have no words to describe our family’s terrible feelings, and it will be the same until he returns home. I beg you to release my father immediately, respecting his integrity. I would like to thank all Colombians and the international community for their support”assured the person concerned a few minutes after the meeting.

Questioned at the final whistle, Jürgen Klopp, for his part, underlined the central concern of his protégé, despite this beautiful enchanted parenthesis. “It was wonderful, moving and fantastic, but the real problem is not yet resolved. We wanted to give Lucho a chance to distract himself a little from other things. He can’t do anything, he waits all the time and the family waits all the time (for news, editor’s note)”initially declared the German technician before saying more about Luis Diaz’s state of mind. “He trained with us a few times and he was in a good mood then, which is good for him. I think the signs coming out of Colombia are pretty positive and optimistic, but the real thing we all want to hear hasn’t happened yet.”.

Relaunched on the performance of his player, the former Borussia Dortmund technician did not fail to highlight his contribution and his decisive minutes. “He hasn’t trained much. I wasn’t sure when we could get him in, but it was a game where it was obvious another offensive player would make sense. You bring him with the quality he has, then he scores the goal, which is wonderful.. To conclude, Klopp recalled his crazy desire to receive happy news in the coming hours. “After the match, no words were needed. We’re just hugging, that’s all. We know he is doing well, but we are desperately waiting for good news. I understand that it’s a great story, super positive and great for him, but these things (scoring the equalizing goal, editor’s note) pass. The real information we need is different information. It’s a very, very positive thing for him, but all the other problems remain the same.”. Let us hope, from now on, that these moving moments are only the beginnings of happy news, more than ever awaited…