Soccer may bring us joy in our toughest times, but the real world reminds us of the horrors it contains. Even soccer players and their families are not safe from danger, as many nefarious individuals try to gain some of the player’s hard-earned money using methods like blackmail and even robberies and kidnappings.
Liverpool and Colombia forward Luis Diaz has now suffered a similar situation back home, just as he was starting to get back into form for his club.
Luis Diaz’s parents got kidnapped in Colombia
The Liverpool winger found himself in a harrowing and uncertain situation yesterday, leaving the soccer community in shock. It was revealed that his parents, Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda, were both kidnapped in their native Colombia, making them victims of a terrible attack.
The club released a statement addressing the situation, acknowledging that the winger was currently dealing with an “ongoing situation.” Later, both the club and manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that the player would be absent from the squad for their upcoming fixture at Anfield against Nottingham Forest.
The kidnapping occurred near their home in the Barrancas region of Colombia on a Saturday. According to The Sun, the kidnappers had a motive to transport the two hostages to neighboring Venezuela, where they might have been safer from the authorities. It is believed that the primary motivation behind this act was to demand ransom money from the player.
A relative of the family reported that the abduction was carried out by four men on motorbikes at around 5:30 p.m. local time. The parents were at a petrol station, filling up their vehicle, when they were taken hostage in their own car, with the other two men following on motorbikes. Shortly after the incident, the authorities were alerted, and both the police and the army became involved in the rescue attempt.
Update on Luis Diaz’s parents
However, there are some important updates on the story. Luiz Diaz will be happy to know that his mother has been rescued already and at the safety of their family home. Local police managed to rescue the mother who was seen photographed with her family but the father is still missing.
🚨 Sources close to Luis Díaz confirm that his mother Cilenis Marulanda has been rescued by the police.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 29, 2023
The operation now continues to free his father, kidnapped earlier today. pic.twitter.com/LNAtKNi2dz
Sources also claimed that there was a shootout where two of the kidnappers were killed. Apparently, his father was also rescued, but confirmation is pending from the authorities.
The president of Colombia Gustavo Petro said, “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Díaz’s mother has been rescued, and we continue the search for the father.”
The kidnapping situation comes at a time when Diaz returned to the team fully fit after many months. He even performed well against rivals Everton and is now again out of the squad following the kidnapping.
We hope for the speedy rescue of Luis Diaz’s father, and our thoughts are with the player and his family in this unfortunate situation for him.
