Luis Manuel Diaz was kidnapped in Colombia for twelve days. On Thursday evening (local time), he was in the stands watching his son Luis Diaz score two goals against Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers: 2-1.
Father Diaz, wearing the yellow jersey of the Colombian national team, gave free rein to his emotions at the Estadio Roberto Meléndez stadium in Barranquilla. The 58-year-old man, who was crying violently, had to be held by family members and other onlookers. The father was distraught when his son helped Colombia beat Brazil for the first time in seven matches with two headers in the 75th and 79th minutes.
The football player gave a short answer after the match and said, “I thank God, he made all this possible.” “We have experienced difficult moments, but this makes us strong and brave. “This is football, this is life.”
Both of Diaz’s parents were kidnapped by gunmen on motorcycles at a gas station in the town of Barrancas, near the Venezuelan border, on October 28. The police set up a barricade and released the football player’s mother within a few hours.
We met again
The ELN guerrilla group detained the father for almost two weeks. According to police, he was released last Thursday without paying any ransom. 4 people allegedly involved in smuggling were detained.
While his father was kidnapped, Diaz missed two matches at his club Liverpool. He returned with an eight-minute substitute appearance against Luton Town on 5 November and immediately scored the only goal. He dedicated the goal to his father by showing a T-shirt written for him.
“Bigger than football”
A few days later, his father was released. Just last Tuesday, two days before the Brazil match, father and son were reunited.
Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson was happy for his Liverpool teammate Diaz. “He’s a friend of mine who’s had a hard time. Losing is never fun, but this is way more important than football. “Luis deserves it.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
