Luis Diaz tearful as he is reunited with his parents after kidnapping ordeal
14 November 2023, 15:29
Luis Diaz was tearful as he was reunited with his parents for the first time after they were kidnapped by Colombian guerrillas.
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The Liverpool forward was greeted by his father Luis Manuel Díaz Jimenez and mother Cilenis Marulanda after flying back to Colombia ahead for the international break.
The Colombian Football Federation said: "This was Lucho's exciting meeting with his father Mané Díaz and his family".
“We love you and we are more united than ever... We are all Colombians."
Read More: Liverpool star Luis Díaz' dad freed by Colombian guerrillas after 12 days in captivity
Diaz's parents were kidnapped just over two weeks ago. His mother was released almost immediately, while Diaz Snr was released on Thursday, after spending nearly a fortnight in the guerillas' jungle lair.
Describing his ordeal, Diaz Snr said: "It was a lot of horseback riding, really hard, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain, too many insects."
He was too weak to walk and was helped to and from a chair by his family.
Diaz Snr told local journalists: "I couldn’t sleep peacefully, it was very difficult, almost 12 days without sleep."
One of the first things Diaz Snr did after his release was call his son, who had just played in Liverpool's defeat to Toulouse in the Europa League.
He was told by his son "to keep going because things don't end here and to have a lot of strength to recover from everything that has happened".
"There was no offer of resources, there was no need, everything was done legally, thank God, they did not request any resources, but that did not happen," he told local press.
Diaz Snr also revealed that he suffered some injuries during the kidnapping.
He travelled by military helicopter after his release on Thursday to Valledupar where he underwent a medical examination.
Diaz Snr had been kidnapped on Saturday 28 October when he was driving his car with his wife Ms Marulanda at a petrol station in Barrancas, the northern province of La Guajira.
The Colombian Football Federation said after the released of Diaz Snr: "The Colombian Football Federation thanks the National Government, the Military Forces and the National Police, as well as all the institutions and officials that made the release of Luís Manuel Díaz, father of our player Luís Diaz, possible."
