Liverpool have made a heartfelt gesture to Luis Diaz’s parents, following their kidnap ordeal.
After being reunited as a family, the Reds have arranged for Diaz’s parents to spend Christmas with the 26-year-old on Merseyside. It has been reported that the club arranged a private jet to fly Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, and father, Luis Manuel Diaz, to Liverpool, where they will be joined by their son after Colombia’s game with Paraguay on Tuesday.
Both Diaz’s parents were the victims of a kidnapping in their hometown of Barrancas on October 28. The Liverpool forward’s mother was released by their captors the following day, but his father remained with the National Liberation Army of Colombia, responsible for the kidnapping plot, until last Thursday.
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In emotional scenes on Friday, Diaz’s father was in attendance as the Reds winger scored both goals for Colombia in a comeback win over Brazil. It was a remarkable feat, given the family’s recent turmoil, and followed on from Diaz’s late equaliser for Liverpool against Luton Town while the search for his father was still ongoing.
The Reds forward is expected to fly back to England with Liverpool’s South American contingent of Alisson Becker, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. In a touching moment at the end of Colombia’s victory over Brazil, the winger shared a hug with club teammate Alisson, despite the Brazilian goalkeeper being on the losing side.
"Alisson very happy, he is a great person. He accompanied me in the last 15 days, he is a great human being and he helped me get through this difficult moment," Diaz said speaking after their win.
"Thank God, we have gone through hard times, but like life, we deserved this victory because we have made a great process , not only us players, but also the coach. Dedicate the victory to the people.
"A war, to win you suffer and that's what happened. Life makes you strong and brave and I think that is football, and not just football but life."
