The Colombian played all 13 games on the way to the final, with two clubs, and scored four goals
Luis Díaz played in the Champions League final with Liverpool against Real Madrid
Luis Díaz is the fourth Colombian to lift the trophy Champions League as champion of the most important club tournament in the world, the second to add minutes on the pitch but the first in history to be a starter in the match for the title. The Stade de France in Paris witnessed how the skill of the player from Guajiro undid Real Madrid’s defense and was one of the most important players in Liverpool’s seventh title in the Champions League.
In Infobae we review the path to the title of the player born in Barrancas, Guajira, the goals scored, the amazing statistics and we update the list of winners after his new championship:
<b>The dream of raising the Champions League began at FC Porto</b>
The 2021-2022 season for Luis Díaz< /b> started in Portugal defending the colors of FC Porto. The ‘Dragao‘ qualified after finishing second in the Primeira Liga, however the draw was not the luckiest for the Blue and Whites and were placed in the so-called ‘Group of Death‘ together with Milan, Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC, curiously the team that would sign Luis Díaz.
The Colombian would play all six games of the group stage scoring two goals, one of them in the 1-0 win against Milan, which turned out to be the most important to snatch the Italian team’s place in the UEFA Europa League as third in Group B. The year would end and Anfield Road would be the Colombian’s new home.
<b>La arrival in Liverpool and his easy adaptation to Jurgen Klopp’s style of play</b>
In January, Luis Díaz’s arrival at Liverpool in England took place for a value close to 45 million euros. The winger only needed a month for his debut with the ‘reds’, in the FA Cup and 15 days later he would play his first Champions League game. It was against Inter Milan in the 2-0 victory and his entry was made in the 59th minute of the match.
It was in the quarterfinal match against Benfica where the image of the Colombian began to take on relevance when he gave the pass for the first goal in the first leg and scored the one that sealed the 3-1 win at minute 87. The second leg finished 3-3 and 6-4 on aggregate gave way to the semifinals. There the rival was the overcast Villarreal, but it was the second leg where Díaz shone, being chosen the best on the pitch.
His entry occurred in the second half when the Spanish team won 2-0 and tied the series, partially. The peasant was located on the left wing and his speed mixed with the precise changes of front by Alexander Arnold allowed him to score in the 67th minute and participate in the scoring plays that gave him the 3-2 victory. Luis Díaz has 27 appearances and six goals for Liverpool.
<b>These were Luis Díaz’s goals in the 2021-2022 Champions League</b>
October 19, 2021: 1-0 of the 1-0 final against AC Milan on date 3 of the UEFA Champions League group stage (Estadio do Dragão). The Colombian striker scored the only goal of the game after a rebound from Mehdi Taremi:
November 3, 2021: 0-1 in the 1-1 final against AC Milan on date 4 of the UEFA Champions League group stage (San Ciro Stadium). The Colombian striker scored the first goal of the game in Italy:
April 5: 1-3 of the 1-3 final against Benfica in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica):
May 3:2-2 of the 2-3 final against Villarreal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final (Estadio de la Cerámica):< /p>
Three titles in Colombia and seven abroad: Luis Díaz’s track record
His beginnings as a professional player were at Barranquilla FC, but from there he already showed signs of the great player he could become. His arrival at Junior’s subsidiary team was made on the recommendation of Carlos Alberto ‘Pibe’ Valderrama and Jhon Díaz, coaches of the Colombian team of Indigenous Peoples where the attacker played the Copa América as captain and scored two goals.
< p class=”paragraph”>It was in 2016 his debut in the second division of Colombia and a year later he made the leap to Junior FC. His first match with the red and white shirt was on July 6, 2017 against Once Caldas, entering the field of play was at 71 minutes and obtained a rating of 6.6. His first goal with the ‘shark’ was in the Copa Sudamericana at 41 minutes against Copa Sudamericana and curiously, he also received his first red card at 73 of the match against Cerro Porteño .
In 2017 he raised his first title as a professional, that of the Colombia Cup against Independiente Medellín. Diaz played just 75 minutes of that game. In 2018 he would consolidate himself as a starter playing 59 games with Junior , scoring 16 goals and giving six assists. In that year they celebrated the title of the second semester of the League and were runner-up in the South American Cup after losing against Atlético Paranaense.
In 2019 he only played half year with the cast from Barranquilla, since his transfer to Porto de Portugal would take place. However, this did not prevent him from lifting the title of the Superliga de Colombia and the two-time championship in Colombian professional football in the first semester.
With the Portuguese team It was champion five times, twice in the Primeira Liga (2020 and 2022), two in the Copa de Portugal (2020 and 2022). Finally, with Liverpool in England in less than six months he won his first two titles, all in 2022 ( League Cup and FA Cup ).