LIVERPOOL ace Luis Díaz‘s father broke down in tears as he opened up about his kidnapping ordeal at the hands of ELN guerrillas in Colombia.
An emotional Luis Manuel Díaz Jimenez finally came home yesterday after spending 12 days trapped in the group’s jungle lair.
He revealed that one of the first things he did after his release was to call his son, who was playing for Liverpool against Toulouse at the time.
The 58-year-old, who broke down in tears as he relived the emotional exchange, revealed what his son told him.
He said “to keep going because things don’t end here and to have a lot of strength to recover from everything that has happened”.
Díaz, who suffered some injuries after the horror kidnapping, also revealed that no money exchanged hands in order to secure his release.
He told local press: “There was no offer of resources, there was no need, everything was done legally, thank God , they did not request any resources, but that did not happen.”
Heartwarming footage showed Díaz driving back into his hometown of Barrancas on Thursday, where hundreds of family, neighbours and friends lined the streets to greet him.
An emotional Díaz was then greeted by tearful friends and family as they embraced.
He later spoke out for the first time about his ordeal: “I thank God for this second chance”.
“I thank Colombia for this great support”, he added, as crowds cheered.
He also thanked his local community for offering support to his family and said: “Thank you all, I love you very much.”
“Very soon I will have the opportunity to greet them and give them a hug. Thank you very much, my people.”
According to Caracol News he returned home with an injured knee, and could be seen resting in bed with family by his side yesterday.
He was forced to walk for almost a week straight as his captors feared police would catch them.
Roman Catholic bishop Monsignor Francisco Ceballos, the first person who saw Luis Manuel Diaz alive after going to his rescue, today revealed the harrowing trauma he went through.
Ceballos, the Bishop of Riohacha in Colombia’s northern Caribbean region, told a Colombian TV station: “It’s a very emotional moment when you see a person who has been deprived of his liberty in front of you.
“I met him practically on the path he was coming along. I was the first person who saw him. I hugged him and he began to cry.
“He was very emotional and very tired because of the long walks he had to do.
“He told me he had to walk continuously for two days plus another four days when he was kidnapped.
“Of the 13 days he was kidnapped he was walking for six days day and nights.”
The 58-year-old was seen getting out of a chopper in the border area between La Guajira and Cesar on Thursday, where he was greeted by the UN rescue committee after his release.
The helicopter was seen at Valledupar airport after it was agreed the ELN would hand Díaz over to the committee somewhere in the Serranía del Perijá.
The release happened as a commission from the United Nations and the Catholic Church agreed to liaise with the ELN.
The ace’s dad was seen waving as he exited the jet before he was given a medical check and taken to hospital for a more thorough exam.
