Luis Díaz opened his heart as he recalled the “difficult moments” he experienced during his father’s kidnapping

After James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao Garcia left top-flight football, Luis Diaz has become the country's most important representative in European leagues, as the winger has established himself as one of Liverpool's stars in England.

After his time at Junior de Barranquilla and Porto, the Guajiro arrived in the United Kingdom for 53 million euros and since then has not stopped growing at a sporting and commercial level, since he now also stars in commercials and has even ventured into music.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated , Díaz spoke about his adaptation to English football, the relationship he has with his teammates at Liverpool and some issues that have affected his performance .

First of all, the Colombian said that it has been essential to have more Latinos in the team, which has made his adaptation, in a country where he does not know the native language, easier.

“The Latinos I have there, Darwin is cool, Maca (Alexis Mac Allister) too. We are together, they drink their mate, I accompany them. Allison, not to mention, an incredible person. They are people who contribute a lot to your life. The people (fans) have made me feel like one of them, they sing a song for me, and seeing them sing, everything, is incredible .”

Speaking about the English players in the squad, the winger revealed that although he does not speak perfect English, he has managed to build a friendship with midfielder Curtis Jones.

“It’s very difficult for us who come from Latin America, always with Curtis Jones, I have a lot of communication, I try to make jokes, I like those things.”

The Guajiro indicated that when he arrived in the Premier League he thought he would not be able to get any relevant minutes due to the stars that were at Liverpool, but he was surprised to see the positive way in which the other forwards received him .

“The first year I arrived, Liverpool’s attack was “Bobby” (Roberto Firmino), Sadio “Mané” and “Mo” (Mohamed Salah). They are people who, despite having won everything, try to communicate, those details make a lot of difference and you have to work on them, improve your finishing and improve the small things,” said the Colombian.

Speaking about more personal aspects, the footballer revealed how the collaboration he did with Juan Fernando Quintero to participate in the song El ritmo que nos une by Ryan Castro was recorded.

“They contacted us, obviously I said yes, I have always liked music. Five days before he went to the hotel, set up a studio, we recorded quickly and it turned out really nice. We made the video quickly and it was cool, the song did really well. I have a mini studio at home, I have my things, but for now I am focused on football .”

Speaking about his origins, Díaz recalled that before playing professionally, he participated in an amateur tournament as a representative of the indigenous team, which made Junior de Barranquilla interested in his services.

“It was spectacular, we had a great tournament, I got to know myself a little better, I shared with Carlos Valderrama, I learned a lot and it was a spectacular experience. It's incredible, playing at a high level now, at Liverpool, a big team like this, playing in such important competitions, experiencing such important moments and then going back out on the street, these are moments that can't be changed.”

Finally, the winger revealed that in the 2023/2024 season he suffered a decline in his level due to the kidnapping of his father, which was something that affected his concentration significantly.

“ Last year I had some very difficult moments, things came up that weren’t so good, like what happened with my father, so that season was very complicated . I said, this season I have to be focused and improve, that has been fundamental to be well,” he said.

This was the kidnapping and release of “Mane” Díaz

Luis Manuel Díaz and his wife Cilenis Marulanda were traveling in a van through the municipality of Barrancas, La Guajira, when they were intercepted by armed men on October 28, 2023; meters later, Marulanda was abandoned inside the vehicle, while "Mane" continued with the kidnappers.

On November 2, the National Government's Peace Delegation reported that the 56-year-old man was being held by the National Liberation Army (ELN) , a guerrilla group that was in the midst of negotiating a peace process with the national government.

After several days of trying to agree on key points for the release, on November 8 a protocol was issued between the ELN captors and the High Commissioner for Peace to end “Mane’s” captivity. The protocol included a cessation of military and police operations 48 hours before and after the release.

Finally, on November 9, Díaz was transported in a helicopter with registration number HK-4160 manned by a humanitarian delegation and at around 10:49 am he was reunited with his family .