Luis Diaz has reunited with his family in Colombia for the first time since his parents were kidnapped in late October.
While his mother was released within hours, his father remained captive for 12 days before being freed last Thursday, with left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN) responsible for the kidnapping (Daily Mail).
The 26-year-old has returned to his homeland as he links up with his national team for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, and images shared by the Colombian Football Federation on social media showed the Liverpool forward having an emotional reunion with his tearful family.
The photos were accompanied by the caption ‘We love you and we are more united than ever! @LuisFDiaz19‘, with the governing body showing solidarity with the player after that extremely harrowing ordeal concerning his parents.
📸 ¡𝑩𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒂 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐!
Así fue el emocionante encuentro de Lucho con su papá Mané Díaz y su familia💛💛💙❤️
¡Te queremos y estamos más unidos que nunca! @LuisFDiaz19 #TodosSomosColombia🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/mtYBNUsURq
— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) November 14, 2023
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This journey back to Colombia would’ve carried unprecedented significance for Luis Diaz after the events of the past three weeks, and we’re all so happy for him to be reunited with his family, who are now safe and together again.
We can’t speak highly enough of how the 26-year-old found the courage to continue playing throughout the personal ordeal, with his late equaliser against Luton earlier this month unquestionably the most poignant goal scored by Liverpool so far this season.
We’re just thankful that both his parents were freed without any physical harm being inflicted upon them, and that the timing of the international break has given the player the opportunity to return to his homeland and reunite with his family for a few days at least.
What happens on the football pitch is secondary in comparison to what the Diaz’s have gone through recently, although it’d be a lovely sight if the Reds winger were to score for Colombia against Brazil on Thursday night, particularly with the match taking place in Barranquilla, the area where he grew up.
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