Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia
By Carl Markham, PA
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz enjoyed an emotional reunion with his parents after flying home to Colombia for the first time since their kidnapping earlier this month.
Diaz arrived in Bogota before flying to Barranquilla – the national team base for Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil – on Tuesday where he was greeted by his father Luis Manuel and mother Cilenis Marulanda.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Colombia Football Federation published pictures of the family’s reunion alongside a short statement which read: “This was Lucho’s exciting meeting with his father Mane Diaz and his family.
📸 ¡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
“We love you and we are more united than ever! @LuisFDiaz19. We are all Colombians.”
Diaz’s parents were snatched off the street just over a fortnight ago and, while his mum was freed almost immediately, his dad was held for 12 days before being released on Thursday.
The 58-year-old said of his experience: “It was a lot of horseback riding, really hard, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain, too many insects.”
A weak Díaz, who was helped to and from a chair by his family, told journalists in his home town of Barrancas in Colombia: “I couldn’t sleep peacefully, it was very difficult, almost 12 days without sleep.”
