2023-10-30 23:26:25
When Luis Díaz was born on January 13, 1997 in Barrancas (La Guajira), a town of 38,000 inhabitants, in which multiple indigenous communities reside, but which have been affected throughout history by forced displacement, disputes between illegal groups, extreme living conditions such as hunger, lack of education and diseases because she is immersed in poverty, her father Luis Manuel was going to be the one to direct her steps towards soccer.
Despite adversity, from a very young age his father knew that football would be his thing and that his life would revolve around a ball. That’s why he took on the task of teaching him to play in his town where he quickly began to show flashes of quality over the other children.
Under the watchful eye of Luis Manuel, Lucho played barefoot in the strong sun that dazzled that area, because his father knew that this helped him isolate his thoughts from the difficult economic situation they were going through. In an interview with EL COLOMBIANO, in December 2021, Luis Manuel said that there were days when his son only walked by with his belly filled with water, because they didn’t even have the money to buy an egg. For this reason, Luis Manuel instilled in him a love for this sport. He was a coach of a team of children between 5 and 14 years old, he took him to train and saw how he stood out among the others.
He was different from other parents, since he never turned his back on him, he always supported him, took him to training and encouraged him, without a doubt that this boy was going to go very far. Thanks to Luis Manuel’s admiration for the Brazilian Ronaldinho, Lucho inherited that taste and spent entire hours outside the house trying to imitate his dribbling.
Finally, in 2015, his father would witness how their lives were going to change, when Lucho was 18 years old. A tournament of indigenous teams from all over Colombia was announced where the national team that would be part of the Copa América of indigenous peoples would be chosen.
His father saw there a great opportunity for Lucho to make himself known and insisted that he join the Wayúu soccer team. “It was an unbeatable opportunity and he did not waste it,” Luis Manuel said excitedly in the dialogue he had with this newspaper in December 2021.
In addition, he recalled that with a few dribbles and his speed he dazzled the coaching staff led by Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama, who was in charge of choosing the representatives who would play in the tournament.
“El Pibe told me that my little boy was different, that following so many years of football he recognized when there was a different talent. “He also told me that it reminded him a lot of his beginnings in Pescaíto,” said Luis Manuel, who accompanied him to all the games and saw that El Pibe had not made a mistake, because his son immediately stood out and ended up as one of the best players thanks to to his great performances.
At that moment, Luis Manuel told Lucho that he might not miss such a great opportunity to show himself at an international level. Although it was not a very recognized tournament, it might serve as a springboard for more important things in the future. So he insisted that he keep that thought and demonstrate it on the court. With that support from his father, from the first moment he began to make a difference with respect to the other players, both teammates and rivals, scoring four goals in five games and finishing runner-up. They lost the final with the Paraguayan team.
Luis Manuel had to go through that bitter pill with him, because Lucho wanted to be champion, it was a very hard moment for his career since he knew defeat with glory very close.
With the help of Pibe Valderrama, Luis Manuel took him to Junior, a team that sent him to the subsidiary, Barranquilla Fútbol Club. It was another big step towards his dream and his father took it with him.
Already in that club, Luis Díaz was able to begin to repay his father and mother for what they had done for him, collaborating with them with money and gone were the days when his refrigerator was empty.
His father’s effort and dedication were already paying off and on May 14, 2016, Luis scored his first goal as a professional once morest Cúcuta. Furthermore, off the courts he met Geraldine Ponce, who became his inseparable travel companion. A woman that her father liked very much, so he himself insisted that he take a chance with her to start a family.
In a short time, that boy who grew up among mud and sand fields, between insecurity and many shortcomings, achieved what every soccer player wants: to go to Europe.
But today Lucho is sad, because his tireless companion in life, his father, faces the cruelty of kidnapping, and he needs him to continue bringing joy to Colombia with his football and goals.
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