Liverpool’s Díaz reunited with father after release

Liverpool and Colombia winger Luis Díaz has reunited with his father for the first time since the latter’s kidnapping ordeal, the Colombian football federation said on Tuesday.

Luis Manuel Díaz, 58, was released on Thursday by the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) 12 days after he was taken hostage on Oct. 28 in Barrancas, a rural municipality where he lives in the northern province of La Guajira.

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The winger remained with Liverpool through this period up to Sunday’s Premier League win over Brentford, before returning to Colombia ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil.

The Colombian FA shared pictures of the father and son’s emotional reunion on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption “we are family.”

🎥 ¡𝐄𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚́ 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚́ 𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐨́𝐧! 🫂

Con @LuisFDiaz19 y el recibimiento de su familia, sumamos una llegada más a nuestra concentración 🤩#TodosSomosColombia🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/2vwQD6dLxj

— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) November 14, 2023

Díaz’s father has said he would remain in Colombia despite his difficult kidnapping experience.

“My aspirations are to continue in my town because I have my entire family in my town,” he told a press conference on Friday