The sight of Luis Diaz scoring a goal at Luton to earn a point and then lift his shirt with a message for his kidnapped father will live long in the memory of Liverpool fans.
One can’t even begin to imagine the pain that the Colombian and his family must be feeling at this point, given that his dad remains at the hands of his kidnappers.
His mother, thankfully, has already been released, though it appears it is taking some tough negotiations to prise Diaz’s father from the National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN).
However, it seems that the hostage situation could soon be at an end if recent reports are to be believed.
‘With this military manoeuvre, all the guarantees and conditions are being provided so that he can regain his freedom in the next few hours,’ a statement from the Colombian military read on X (h/t Liverpool ECHO).
‘From the first moment of his kidnapping to date, the ELN is solely responsible for the physical integrity of Mr. Luis Manuel. The mission of the Colombia military has always been to protect the life and freedom of Luis Diaz’s father and all Colombians.’
Until Luis Manuel Diaz is in the hands of the authorities, anything could still happen of course, though it would appear from the strength of the words released, that the military are trying to do everything possible to release him unharmed.
Considering the mental anguish that the player must be under, it’s incredible how he’s managed to put that to one side in order to focus on the job in hand.
With other important games upcoming for the Reds, the sooner that Luis Diaz is able to have his mind put at rest thanks to the release of his father, the better.