Liverpool Star Luis Diaz’s Parents Kidnap A Horrific Reminder Of How Players Are Targets

As Liverpool first goal against Nottingham Forest went flying into the net at Anfield the iconic number 7 shirt was held aloft for everyone to acknowledge.

Heartbreakingly it was not because the current wearer of the jersey, made famous by Kenny Dagleish and Kevin Keegan, Luis Diaz had scored, the reason was truly horrific.

In the hours before kick-off, the 26-year-old Colombian international had learned his parents had been kidnapped

Reports first emerged overnight and developed as the day went on claiming Diaz’s mother and father had been stopped by gunmen on motorbikes as they drove home.

Gradually, it was learned that Diaz’s mother had been rescued, but there were concerns about his dad’s safety.

“In a padlock operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father,” Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro tweeted.

In a statement, the national federation urged the authorities to act with speed.

“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” the association said.

“From the FCF, we express our solidarity with him and his entire family, and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Explaining what efforts were underway, the Colombian Attorney General’s office said a specialist team had been dispatched.

“From the moment when Colombia’s General Prosecutor’s Office learned of the kidnapping of the parents of Colombian player Luis Díaz in the Barrancas area of La Guajira, a specialist team of prosecutors, CTI (Technical Investigation Team) officials and investigators from the police and military have been taking urgent action to locate these individuals, clarify the chain of events and identify the culprits,” they explained.

Before the 3-0 win over Forest Jurgen Klopp revealed his reaction to the shocking news.

“We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Díaz,” the German said.

“It’s a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before, it’s a new experience I never needed.”

The whole horrible scenario is a brutal reminder that regardless of the levels of superstardom Premier League players these days possess, beneath all this spectacle there are human beings with families.

But perhaps worse than that it also demonstrates how soccer can make people a target for those with evil intentions.

A Dark History

If Diaz’s parent’s kidnapping were a one off that would be terrible enough in itself.

But the sad reality is that he joins a long list of elite professionals who’ve been placed in this awful situation.

As money flooded into the sport in the 90s, more and more players became targets for criminals because of their wealth.

It could often be the case that those who’d risen from the humblest of beginnings were at the greatest risk, particularly in countries, such as Brazil, where kidnap was already a method of extortion favored by those with bad intentions.

The first case which caught the global media’s attention was the 1994 kidnap of the father of Romario who was at that time the best player in the world.

Romario appealed for help from the Brazilian public and ultimately, months before that year’s World Cup, his dad was released.

The kidnappers in that case were branded “inexperienced” but their choice of target would prove to be the start of a trend.

By the early 2000s, the kidnapping of relatives had become one of the things talented Brazilian players had to worry about.

As Angelo Herrera, a sports journalist, explained after striker Robinho’s mother was taken in 2004.

“In Rio, just as much as in Sao Paulo, kidnap is a really worrying thing for players,” he said.

“It isn’t the first time something like this has happened with a football player.

“You’d think that because he was from a poorer background the kidnappers might not have done something like this, but they obviously knew exactly what they were doing and that he was going to be sold for all this money,” he added.

Targeted In The UK

In the UK, criminals have also targeted soccer players, and many high-profile stars have been attacked or threatened at knifepoint during robberies.

Frank Lampard, for example, has been targeted multiple times, twice whilst he was with his pregnant partner.

Delle Alli was beaten during a 2020 robbery and held at knifepoint, while Joao Cancelo was also beaten during a break-in two years ago, to name just two others.

Last year, whilst playing for England at the World Cup in Qatar, Raheem Sterling was delivered the horrific news his home had been raided by thieves whilst his wife and young children were alone.

Sterling, who was in the process of beefing up his personal security before the break-in, said he “beat himself up” over the incident.

Learning of the robbery at Sterling’s sparked fears for other players, England teammate Kelvin Phillips explained.

“Once one player goes through it, there is always a thought in the back of your mind that it might happen to you,” he said.

Everyone is hoping Diaz’s father will be returned safely, but the terrible reality is he won’t be the last famous soccer player who is a victim of an awful crime.