Liverpool star Luis Diaz dedicated his team’s success in the Carabao Cup to his parents, who were in attendance at Wembley.
Diaz played the whole game as Liverpool prevailed with a 1-0 win against Chelsea in extra-time, with Virgil van Dijk scoring a late winner.
In October last year Diaz’s parents were kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles at a petrol station in Colombia.
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His mother Cilenis Marulanda was rescued hours later, but Diaz’s father Luis Manuel ‘Mane’ Diaz wasn’t freed until almost two weeks later.
Diaz stated that being able to celebrate Liverpool’s Carabao Cup success with his parents was a special occasion.
Diaz told Sky Sports: ‘It was a very tough match and big matches are played this way. It was very physical and we were very tired at the end but we were able to deliver the result and I knew we can make it.
‘We had a year with a lot of matches but we prepared like that. We prepared well and knew it was going to be like that.
Commenting on his parents, Diaz said: ‘I dedicate this title to my mum and dad (who are at Wembley). For everything they went through it makes it so much more special to celebrate this with my family.’
Diaz’s father was taken into the hands of a humanitarian commission comprised of the Catholic Church and the UN.
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A huge search took place in an attempt to find Diaz’s father, with an award of around £40,000 being offered for information.
It is the second time that Diaz has won the Carabao Cup with Liverpool, having also been involved in their 2022 success against Chelsea.