Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s father thanked loved ones on his 55th birthday this weekend, just weeks after he was captured by Colombian rebels.
Luis Manuel Diaz was kidnapped by the ELN (National Liberation Army), a rebel group in his home country, on October 28 and held hostage for 12 days, and a nationwide manhunt was carried out in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela to find the address.
The 55-year-old man was kidnapped along with his wife, Klienice Marulanda, when gunmen on motorcycles attacked the family’s van at a gas station in the La Guajira region.
Mrs. Marulanda was rescued a few hours later, but Elder Diaz was not released until the intervention of the Catholic Church and the United Nations on November 9. “I want to thank my family, wife, children and daughter-in-law for a wonderful day to celebrate another year of my life,” Diaz wrote on Instagram. “God bless you, I will always love you with all my heart.”Because his father was kidnapped, Diaz missed Liverpool’s win over Nottingham Forest last month after Jurgen Klopp decided the striker should stay at home with his wife and young daughter.The Reds number seven made a sensational return to action against Luton Town seven days later when he scored in stoppage time to give his side a surprise goal at Kenilworth Road.
An emotional Colombian footballer showed his support for his father after finding the back of the net wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Freedom for Dad’.Diaz Snr, who was released ahead of Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Toulouse earlier this month, revealed the message of support he received from the Liverpool striker in an interview with local media. “I had the opportunity to greet him before he played a football match with his team (Liverpool’s Europa League defeat to Toulouse on Thursday night),” he said.”I was happy because I was already with my family, my wife, my son, Luis’s mother-in-law, Alejandro and a few other people who joined us. “[Diaz told me] to keep going because it’s not over yet and it’s going to take a lot of work to recover from everything that happened.
