THE parents of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz have been kidnapped, according to reports.
Cops and the army were deployed in a massive search for the star’s mum and dad after they were seized in La Guajira, Colombia.
The 26-year-old’s parents were at a petrol station in their home town of Barrancas when they were approached by two armed men, according to W Radio.
A desperate search for Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda was been launched by the director of police General William Salamanca.
Later it was reported Cilenis had been found safe and taken into police protection.
But the footballer’s dad was still missing amid a huge search involving Colombia’s army.
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Diaz’s parents are thought to have been travelling to the Los Olivos neighbourhood in a van they owned on Saturday.
Some reports suggest there was an exchange of gunfire, although this has not been officially confirmed.
The cops are said to have initiated a so-called “Padlock Plan”, sealing off the town.
Diala Wilches, the governor of La Guajira, said in a statement: “I reject and condemn the kidnapping of the parents of Luis Diaz, Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, in events that occurred in Barrancas today.
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“I have given instructions to the authorities to immediately implement the rescue and thereby maintain full communication with Colonel Montaña, commander of the department of La Guajira.
“To the kidnappers, we demand that they be returned immediately, safe and sound.”
The army said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Army troops support the search operation for the parents of soccer player Luis Díaz, who apparently are victims of kidnapping.”
Diaz is Colombia’s biggest star and has scored nine goals in 43 appearances for the national side.
His father previously revealed the Liverpool ace suffered from an illness which caused him to lose a dangerous amount of weight.
The tricky winger went from “chubby” to extremely skinny which could’ve cost him his life.
Diaz was born and raised in the heartland of Colombia’s largest indigenous community.
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.
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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 2022.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
