Luis Diaz is on the cusp of joining Liverpool in a £50 million deal and his journey from Colombia to present day has been brilliantly documented by a South American football expert.
A delegation from Liverpool are to meet with the 25-year-old in Argentina over the weekend to conduct a medical and put the rubber stamp on the deal to take him from Porto to Anfield.
It will seal an exciting addition to the squad after the Reds acted swiftly amid Tottenham‘s pursuit of the winger, bolstering the attacking options as Jurgen Klopp‘s side compete across four fronts.
And Diaz’s journey to this point makes for compelling reading, with South American football journalist Simon Edwards providing insight on Twitter into his incredible rise and the person Liverpool are adding to their dressing room.
The winger is from Barrancas, a remote village in Colombia and is a member of the Wayuu people and at 17 was dangerously underweight playing on a dusty pitch for a team run by his family.
Luis Díaz is a remarkable player who will do great things at Liverpool.
His story is also incredible & despite all the talent, it’s a miracle he was able to have a professional career.
At 17 he was severely underweight, unknown & playing on a dusty pitch in his remote village. pic.twitter.com/lkWCoBDUk7
— Simon Edwards (@SimonEdwardsSAF) January 28, 2022
At a Colombian trial for the Copa America of Indigenous People, Diaz impressed and was picked for the tournament that led to Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama taking action.
He was to join Barranquilla FC thanks to Valderrama’s recommendation before then moving across to Atletico Junior and in the space of three years, Europe and Porto were calling.
It’s been an incredible rise for Diaz who then went on to represent his country at the senior level in 2018, just two years after his senior debut for Barranquilla.
How did he celebrate this incredible achievement?
He went back to his village in La Guajira to have a kick about with his friends and family. https://t.co/12L5mWEoVP
— Simon Edwards (@SimonEdwardsSAF) January 28, 2022
He would be a regular for the 2021 Copa America as Colombia finished third and with Diaz as the competition’s joint-top goalscorer alongside Lionel Messi (4).
A trip back to his village was then in order for a player Portuguese outlet A Bola described as “an ace that seems to literally live on a separate planet.”
It’s been an amazing story so far and Reds will be eager to see more successful chapters written when he arrives at Anfield.
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