Luis Diaz’s father Manuel clocks 55 counts blessings
Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s father has posted an emotional message of thanks as he celebrates his birthday with gamily members, less than a month after being rescued from kidnappers in his native Colombia.
Luis Manuel Diaz spent 12 days being held hostage by guerrilla terrorist group ELN after being taken in his hometown at gunpoint at the end of October, before being rescued in November.
The heartening news came just hours before Liverpool were due to take on Toulouse in the Europa League – a game which his son played in, only to lose 3-2 in dramatic circumstances.
Mane, as he is known, has since been seen at Liverpool games cheering on his son, and was in attendance for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
The 55-year-old put out an emotive post on Instagram on Monday to mark his birthday, thanking God for ‘allowing’ him to celebrate another year in the company of his loved ones.
‘I want to thank God for allowing me to celebrate another year of life, my family, my wife, my children, my daughter-in-law for making me spend this beautiful day,’ Diaz Snr wrote on Instagram.
‘God bless you, I always love you with all my heart.’
Along with the message, Diaz Snr posted a number of photos celebrating his special day alongside his family, the Liverpool forward included.
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Diaz’s brother, Jesus, is also a professional footballer, on the books at Porto, where the 26-year-old left to join the Reds last year.
He was seized at gunpoint along with his wife and the government soon blamed Colombia’s last remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army. Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was left behind in a car.
Friends and family gathered in his neighbourhood to greet him upon his return on November 9, with Diaz thanking God for ‘a second chance’ after driving back home.
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‘I thank Colombia for this great support’, he added. ‘Very soon I will have the opportunity to greet them and give them a hug. Thank you very much, my people.’
Colombian authorities have suggested the blame for the kidnapping might lie at the feet of gang Los Primos, who are accused of having carried out the kidnap and handing Diaz Snr over to a regional unit of the ELN.