Liverpool striker Luis Diaz shared an emotional reunion on Tuesday with his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, who was freed after enduring a 12-day kidnapping ordeal at the hands of Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group.
Diaz returned to Colombia to join the national team for a World Cup qualifying match against Brazil.
According to AFP, the reunion with his father took place in Barranquilla, where the pair embraced in tears, as captured in images distributed by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF).
Wearing a black T-shirt with the words “No more kidnapping,” Luis Manuel Diaz, 56, met his son and the rest of the family after being abducted alongside his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, on October 28 near the Venezuelan border.
Marulanda was rescued shortly afterward, while a massive search operation was initiated for her husband.
The FCF, sharing a photo of the reunion on its website, stated, “After 12 days deprived of freedom, this is the first contact of the player with his father and the rest of the family, who lived long moments of anguish.”
The ELN, engaged in peace negotiations with the government and party to a six-month ceasefire since August, described the kidnapping as a “mistake” by one of its units.
Following intense negotiations, the rebels handed Luis Diaz over to humanitarian workers last Thursday in a mountainous border area. Diaz later shared his ordeal with reporters, detailing the challenges he faced during captivity.
On Saturday, police announced the arrest of four suspects related to the crime.
Luis Manuel Diaz, the founder and amateur coach of the only football academy in Barrancas, played a crucial role in his son’s development, supporting him from a young age.
Known as “Lucho,” Luis Diaz is the first Indigenous Colombian to reach the top echelons of world football, playing for Porto before joining Liverpool.
