It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right, Carlos Valderrama hopes you had the time of your life.
As far as starts to life on Merseyside go, Luis Diaz is having a pretty good one. After creating a goal for Takumi Minamino against Cardiff City, he notched his first goal for Liverpool FC over the weekend with a sumptuous chip of the ball with his weaker left foot late in the game against Norwich. Diaz has quickly shown why Liverpool were desperate to get him, his work rate, quick feet and general intelligence for the game have all been bright spots.
And now, the man who discovered Diaz, Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama has chimed in on Diaz’s joyful start to life at Liverpool. Speaking to Marca, while apparently laughing and having a good time all around:
“He’s (Diaz) dying of laughter. The son does everything that way. The man is happy, he’s happy. Soccer is joy. If you change your mentality, you lose the year. You can’t change the joy to play soccer. So I invite you to have a great time there.”
Luis Díaz is a remarkable player who will do great things at Liverpool.
His story is also incredible & despite all the talent, it’s a miracle he was able to have a professional career.
At 17 he was severely underweight, unknown & playing on a dusty pitch in his remote village. pic.twitter.com/lkWCoBDUk7
— Simon Edwards (@SimonEdwardsSAF) January 28, 2022
In case you missed his remarkable origin story when Diaz signed, it was Carlos Valderrama who discovered a very skinny Luis Diaz at a Colombian trial for the Copa America of Indigenous People. Do check out South American football journalist Simon Edwards’ thread above for the full story. It’s pretty remarkable.
Per Valderrama’s recommendation to his former club Atletico Junior, they took Diaz on and assigned him to their second division affiliate Barranquilla FC. In a span of five years, Diaz would play for Atletico, Porto and now Liverpool. What a story, and what a player. May we continue to see his happy feet for years to come.
