Our tribe live in poverty and growing up in the midst of hunger and thirst is not easy… we are all so proud of Luis Diaz

TO the Wayuu tribe, Luis Diaz is more than a footballer.

Liverpool’s Quad-chasing star, born and raised in the heartland of Colombia’s largest indigenous community, is a symbol of resistance, hope and pride for his people.

Javier Rojas Uriana, a spokesman for the Wayuu, told SunSport: “Luis is the living example of the resilience and strength of us as an ancestral people.

“Seeing one of us reach so high, through his own merit and effort, and overcome the barriers that life has put up for us, swells our hearts.

“We feel extremely proud.”

The Wayuu live in the Guajira Peninsula, a desert region that straddles northern Colombia and north-west Venezuela.

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They enjoy autonomy from the laws of both countries but that freedom has come at a heavy price.

Their land has been ruthlessly exploited for its natural resources – Diaz himself grew up in the town of Barrancas that lies in the shadow of Cerrejon, the largest open-pit coal mine in Latin America.

Asked where he got his self-belief from, Diaz said: “From La Guajira. It comes from my roots. I always played football in my town, in my homeland.

“They are my characteristics, they have instilled in me several things that I have today and now I have grown much more. That’s my game.

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“Each game is a revenge for always going out to look for more, I know what it costs and I have to take advantage of every moment, every minute I have.

“The rest is very important for what is to come.”

While people elsewhere enjoy the benefits of such industries, many of the Wayuu live without access to clean water, sufficient food or basic standards of healthcare and education.

Rojas said: “Our community has the highest rates of poverty, malnutrition, discrimination, abuse and inequity that can exist… a bleak picture wherever you look.

“Growing up in the midst of hunger and thirst is not easy. Having the possibility to beat this situation without ‘selling our souls to the devil’ – few of us can do it.

“Luis is of the utmost importance in raising awareness of the problems the Wayuu face, as he and his family have experienced first-hand the rigours of inequality, discrimination and abandonment.”

As a kid, Diaz was so skinny that his nickname was Fideo – “Noodle”.

Coach John Diaz (no relation) remembers a “clumsy, malnourished” teenager turning up to a trial for a youth team made up of players from Colombia’s indigenous communities.

But the youngster’s skill impressed scouts, including Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama.

After scoring seven goals at the 2015 Copa Sudamericana de Pueblos Indigenas, Diaz’s career began to take off.

Atletico Junior sent him on loan to Barranquilla, where he was put on a special diet to gain 10kg.

Diaz crossed the Atlantic to join Porto in 2019, before moving to Liverpool in January.

But back home, the next generation face the same problems he did.

Juan Pappier, Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Wayuu children still die of malnutrition at high rates in Colombia’s northeastern state of La Guajira.

“Many live in extreme poverty, lack sufficient access to water and food, and have suffered the consequences of chronic mismanagement and widespread corruption by government officials—a crisis that was only made worse during the Covid-19 pandemic”

Rojas said: “This ‘tawala’ (our brother) is perhaps the greatest example we have and the one we talk about the most in our tours throughout the territory of the Reservation of Media and Alta Guajira.

“His hard work, with humility, discipline and persistence, has made our children and young people, especially, dream and fight.

“Luis Diaz is reviving that strength, that spirit, which was being decimated. He allows us to refute the accusations that are made against us.

“We do not live in these unworthy conditions for pleasure, or out of laziness or opportunism. There are many ‘Luis Diaz’s’ in the territory, hungry for support and opportunities.”

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And as Diaz tries to steer Liverpool to an historic Quadruple, the Wayuu will be watching and hoping that “Maleiwa”, their creator god, can steer him to even greater heights.

Rojas said: “Wherever the television signal reaches, we will be full of pride and drenching with sweat the shirt of the best team in the world.

“We continue to ask Maleiwa and our ancestors to guide him and continue to give him the strength to be the best in the world.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk