COLOMBIAN forward Luis Diaz looks set to a move to Premier League, in what has been a remarkable journey to the top.The 25-year-old Porto star was coveted by Tottenham in the past year, but now appears to be destined for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a mammoth £50million deal.
Colombian star Luis Diaz has become one of Europe’s most sought after starsCredit: AFP
Diaz grew up in the Wayuu tribe of indigenous peoples in the small village of BarrancasCredit: Getty
As a kid, Diaz grew up in the small village of Barrancas in the Wayuu tribe of the indigenous people of Colombia.
The ethnic group mostly live in the arid Guajira Peninsula close to the border with Venezuela, on the Caribbean coast.
His opportunity to break out of his humble surroundings came at the 2015 Copa Americana de Pueblos Indígenas, a South American football tournament for indigenous people.
There, he impressed World Cup legend Carlos Valderrama and went on trial at first division Atletico Junior before he was immediately sent to farm team Barranquilla FC.
However, he had to be placed on a special diet to gain weight after suffering with malnutrition.
But it didn’t stop Diaz from becoming a superstar at Porto, as well as top scorer at last year’s Copa America along with Lionel Messi.
And recently, he became a father to a baby daughter with love of his life, Gera.
Modest origins
As a kid, Diaz would watch trains carrying coal zoom past his village gathered from the pits of Cerrejon and bound for Europe.
It gave him hope and a dream to escape his modest origins for a different kind of life.
He was one of 380,000 of the Wayuu people, the largest indigenous ethnic group in Colombia who populate the La Guajira region.
Kicking a football about was his escape from reality.
But, growing up in the Wayuu way of life had its pitfalls for an aspiring footballer.
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Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama was impressed by Diaz at a football tournamentCredit: AFP – Getty
The Wayuu people are the largest indigenous ethnic group in Colombia and populate the La Guajira regionCredit: Getty
As fate would have it
At the age of 17, Diaz appeared at a football tournament that hoped to find the next big thing from a pool of indigenous talent.
The raw winger, a scrawny skinny teen at point nicknamed ‘Lucho’, was a breakout star – drawing praise from iconic Carlos Valderrama, who was in attendance.
His weight, though, was a cause for concern.
Figures from 2008-2016 showed that children of the Wayuu tribe have been neglected by the Colombian government through the years, with around 4,700 dying of malnutrition during that period.
His coach for the tournament, the un-related John ‘Pocillo’ Diaz revealed his fears for the youngster.
“For a moment, we thought it would be very difficult for him to perform because ‘Lucho’ seemed to have malnutrition problems,” he told the BBC.
“He was very skinny and lost the duels with other players. But despite that, he managed to stand out among 400 candidates and make the 26-man squad.”
Luis Diaz was instrumental in getting his country to the final of the competition in Chile, scoring two goals along the way, but suffered disappointment in the final when they were beaten 1-0 by Paraguay.
Still, there was no chance he would be returning to his former life in Barrancas now.
After starring at a competition for indigenous people at 17, Diaz was signed by Atletico JuniorCredit: Getty
Chance to impress
A trial at Atletico Junior saw him farmed out to second division Colombian team Barranquilla FC.
He drew comparisons to his idol Ronaldinho thanks to his quick feet and trickery on the pitch.
Luis was also incredibly likeable because of his humility and determination to get every ounce out of his ability.
After just one season with Barranquilla, Atletico Junior welcomed him to their fold and he became a regular starter in 2018 – just three years after he was discovered.
He scored 16 goals in his second campaign for the club, winning the country’s first division twice.
In March 2019, Diaz made his international debut for his country as his rapid ascension in the game knew no bounds.
Within months, he would finally achieve his dream and move to Europe.
Diaz quickly outgrew Atletico Junior and was coveted by European clubsCredit: AFP
Porto
With a reputation of developing Colombian stars, including James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Fredy Guarin and Jackson Martinez, Porto seemed the natural fit for Diaz after they registered their interest in the exciting player.
So, he turned down moves to Cardiff City and Russian side Zenit St Petersburg to move to Portugal.
He hit the ground running on the left flank, scoring 14 times in the 2019-20 season and 11 goals the season after.
And he has continued to grow on the biggest occasion.
At last year’s Copa America he drew plaudits for his swashbuckling displays as Colombia finished third.
A spectacular overhead kick against Brazil, along with goals against Peru and Argentina saw him tie for the Golden Boot with the great Lionel Messi.
Europe took note.
Personal growth
Diaz’s remarkable success story on the pitch has been coupled with joy in his personal life.
He has been supported by girlfriend Gera Ponce, 22, as he became one of European football’s most desired stars.
Diaz has continued his rapid rise at PortoCredit: AFP
A spectacular overhead kick against Brazil in the Copa America alerted Europe’s clubsCredit: AFP
Wag Gera has supported Diaz as he has continued his rapid ascensionCredit: Instagram / @gera25ponce
To top it off, he became a daddy for the first time – welcoming a baby daughter last month.
Seemingly, Merseyside is Diaz’s next destination on his voyage.
This time, he won’t be making it alone. More

PAUL MCGRATH has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson once offered him £100k to retire from football.The legendary defender played for Man United between the years 1982 and 1989.
Paul McGrath was offered £100k to retire from football by Sir Alex FergusonCredit: Alamy
Sir Alex was not impressed with his drinkingCredit: Getty
He instead moved to Aston Villa, where he was often hailed as ‘God’Credit: Getty Images – Getty
But his manager Sir Alex was less than impressed with him and United striker Norman Whiteside’s drinking, which led to the offer of retirement.
McGrath told The Telegraph: “Sir Alex got me into the room and just said ‘we’d like you to stop playing football’.
“Simple as that. And he said they were willing to give me £100,000 to quit playing football altogether and just go back to Ireland. 
“I was thinking about it because £100,000 back then was quite a lot of money.
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“But I spoke to Kevin Moran and Bryan Robson, and I just said I wanted to play on because I thought I could still do something in football.
“So Gordon Taylor, who was at the PFA, went into Sir Alex and said ‘Paul’s playing on, you can fine him, you can do what you want but he’s going to play football – here or somewhere else’.
“It wasn’t a shock really because we were acting up a bit back then.
“We had a bit of fun but we overdid it, so then he just wanted me out of the club.
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“Then Bryan Robson was having a barbeque at his house and suddenly Graham Taylor was on the phone saying ‘can you come up to Aston Villa’ and I jumped at the chance.
“I thought ‘Jesus, I can play there every week’.”
McGrath’s move to Villa was a success as he became a legend at the club during his seven-year spell.
While playing at Villa Park, McGrath was often nicknamed “God” by his fans.
However, he did admit that he thought the “man upstairs would not be too pleased about that”. More

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EX-SOUTHAMPTON striker Graziano Pelle’s stunning wife Viktoria Varga has showed off her red-hot body on the beach.Pelle, 37, scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for the Saints between 2014-16.
Viktoria Vega stunned as she slipped into a bikini for a beach photoshootCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
The Hunagrian model is the wife of former Saints striker Graziano PelleCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
The couple have been together since 2012, it has been reportedCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
Fans have flooded Viky’s comments sectionCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
And wife Viktoria was with him during his time on the South Coast, having met the charming Italian goalscorer in 2012.
While Pelle forged a successful career on the pitch, which included 20 appearances for his country, his Hungarian model partner built one off it.
Viktoria has over 600,000 Instagram followers and regularly shares her jet-setting adventures.
This time, the blonde beauty and founder of swimwear company Vamaswim, showed off her sizzling body and she laid on a sun-kissed beach.
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Viktoria, 31, captioned the post: “The beach is not always a place, sometimes it’s a feeling.”
And the series of eye-catching snaps has fans drawn to the comments section.
One follower responded, saying: “I agree Viky, it’s a very nice feeling just like you.”
Another replied: “I would like to be that sand.”
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Hubby Pelle has been without a club since the summer of 2021.
His last club was Parma in Italy.
Viktoria was with Pelle during his two-year spell in EnglandCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
Viktoria often shares her jet-setting adventures to her InstagramCredit: Instagram @vikyvarga
Pelle is a free agent aged 37Credit: Instagram @vikyvarga More