‘Short and thin’ – Luis Díaz’s long road from Barrancas to Liverpool

Barrancas is a town like many others across Colombia. From the early hours of the morning motorbikes and tuk-tuks dart up and down the small town’s high street, beeping past pedestrians and zipping around street vendors as they line up their plantain and fresh produce under the shade of mango trees to shelter from the scorching sun.

Locals cluster around monitors on the pavement and try their luck at a digital version of roulette. In reality though, there is only one number that locals have their hopes on: Luis Díaz’s number 23.

Liverpool’s new star was formed and forged on the streets of Barrancas and his mark on the town is evident. A large mural along the high street features the player celebrating a goal in a Colombia shirt, alongside the phrase “Barraquero pride.” “It’s a great pride because we do not have any opportunities here, and to see your friend doing what he always dreamed of is huge,” says Brayan Gómez, Díaz’s childhood friend and neighbour.

That same pride is evident among the Díaz family, which is an incredibly tight-knit unit. Many of them still remain in Barrancas and live in the player’s childhood home. “You cannot imagine the happiness,” his father, Luis Manuel Díaz – who was also his son’s first coach – tells The Guardian. “I feel very happy, proud and satisfied with the job that we did as a family so that Lucho could achieve what he wanted. This was his wish.”

However, not all in the Díaz household shared that wish. “I didn’t want him to be a football player,” his mother, Cilenis Marulanda, confesses. She was worried her son would spend too much time out on the streets and away from his school books, and was also concerned that the small, skinny Díaz would get hurt by bigger players.

Luisfer, as his