Law enforcement and military personnel were mobilized in an extensive effort to locate the star’s parents after they were abducted in La Guajira, Colombia.
The 26-year-old’s mother and father were taken by force at a gas station in their hometown of Barrancas, where they encountered two armed individuals, as reported by W Radio.
A frantic search operation for Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda was initiated under the direction of police General William Salamanca.
Subsequently, it was confirmed that Cilenis had been safely located and placed under police protection. However, the footballer’s father remained missing, prompting a large-scale search involving Colombia’s armed forces.
Díaz’s parents were believed to be en route to the Los Olivos neighbourhood in a van owned by them on the day of the incident. While some accounts mention an exchange of gunfire, this has not yet received official confirmation.
It has been disclosed that the authorities initiated a “Padlock Plan” to secure and cordon off the town.
Diala Wilches, the governor of La Guajira, released a statement, expressing, “I reject and condemn the kidnapping of the parents of Luis Diaz, Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, in events that occurred in Barrancas today.”
“I have given instructions to the authorities to immediately implement the rescue and thereby maintain full communication with Colonel Montaña, commander of the department of La Guajira.”
“To the kidnappers, we demand that they be returned immediately, safe and sound.”
The army shared a post, previously on Twitter, stating, “Army troops support the search operation for the parents of soccer player Luis Díaz, who apparently are victims of kidnapping.”
Díaz is a prominent figure in Colombian soccer, having scored nine goals in 43 appearances for the national team.
His father had previously disclosed that the Liverpool player had battled an illness that caused a dangerous amount of weight loss.
Growing up in the heartland of Colombia’s largest indigenous community, Diaz was so slender in his youth that he earned the nickname “Noodle.”
Coach John Diaz (no relation) recalled a “clumsy, malnourished” teenager attending a trial for a youth team composed of players from Colombia’s indigenous communities. Nonetheless, his exceptional skills caught the attention of scouts, including Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama.
After a standout performance with seven goals at the 2015 Copa Sudamericana de Pueblos Indigenas, Diaz’s career took off. He was sent on loan to Barranquilla by Atletico Junior, where he followed a special diet to gain 10kg.
In 2019, Diaz made the move across the Atlantic to join Porto before ultimately transferring to Liverpool in January 2022.
Luis Díaz
Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda
This season he played in total 9 times for 630 minutes for Premier League.
Luis Díaz scored 2 goals for Liverpool. He procured no assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 4th in Premier League. In the last match Liverpool won 5-1 against Toulouse. The next match in Premier League will be against Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool performance and stats
Liverpool is currently 4th in the Premier League with 20 points.
In the last 9 games, it has won 5 times, drawn 3 times, and lost once. In its last match, Liverpool won 2-0 against Everton.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 20 goals and conceding 9.
Liverpool will play the next match in Premier League against Nottingham Forest on Sunday 29th of October in Liverpool. The prediction is Liverpool winning the match.