Liverpool winger Luis Diaz returned to his homeland weeks after his parents were kidnapped in Colombia. In the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he rose to the occasion wearing the colors of the Colombian national team and helped overturn a 1-0 deficit against Brazil.
Diaz had been going through tough times after his parents went missing. Fortunately, the Liverpool star was reunited with his father, who was safely rescued after being abducted by a guerilla group called Ejercito de Liberation Nacional. Colombia got the better of Brazil with Diaz’s brace in the presence of his father on Thursday.
Luis Diaz scores brace for Colombia to win vs Brazil
The Colombian international went through a tough time last month after the news of his parents getting abducted by armed men broke out. Diaz missed out on the Liverpool squad and only played 14 minutes amid the unfortunate circumstances. He made his first and only start against Toulouse in a 4-3 defeat in the Europa League.
The Liverpool forward scored a stoppage-time goal against Luton after coming off the bench in the final minutes. He pulled up his jersey, revealing the message ‘Freedom for Papa’ beneath his shirt. The forward received a national team call-up for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Paraguay.
As he flew to South America to join the Colombian training camp, the 26-year-old reunited with his father, Luis Manuel Díaz, for the first time after the abduction, and they both cried while hugging each other. Right after 48 hours, Luis Diaz’s heroics propelled his side to a lightning victory over Brazil.
Colombia hosted Seleção Canarinha in the 2026 World Cup qualification, securing a 2-1 victory at Barranquilla’s Estadio Metropolitano on Thursday. The guests took an early lead through Arsenal winger Gabriel Maternelli until Luis Diaz’s second-half two goals within five minutes, in the presence of his father in the stands, left the atmosphere emotional.
The hosts sealed all three points, registering their second win of the campaign and continuing their undefeated streak
What happened to Luis Diaz’s father?
The Premier League star Luis Diaz faced a harrowing situation when his parents, his father Luis Manuel Diaz and mother Cilenis Maryland, were abducted while driving home in their van last month on October 28th by Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN) in La Guajira region of Barrancas.
The police authorities rescued his mother within several hours of the kidnapping. However, search operations to secure his father were launched by the Army and the Colombian Police force.
Last week, Diaz received the good news of his father being released by the rebel group after 12 days, as they safely handed over Manuel Diaz to United Nations and Catholic Church officials.
