Luis Díaz's father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was hospitalised with chest pains in Colombia, a worrying development coming 13 months after his traumatic 12-day kidnapping episode. The 58-year-old initially received medical attention at a local hospital in Barrancas yesterday morning but later transferred for specialist care.
After being stabilised and administered oxygen at Our Lady of Pilar Hospital, he was then moved to the Cesar Cardiovascular Institute in Valledupar.
The local news outlet El Pilon revealed that Luis Manuel, affectionately known as 'Mane', is scheduled for a cardiac catheterisation shortly—a routine procedure where a catheter navigates through a blood vessel to the heart. His family has refuted any speculation about a heart attack, and physicians are considering whether his chest pain could be muscle-related.
Though the football star's father has kept silent on social media about his health, he expressed gratitude for his recovery and downplayed concerns in a statement to journalist Hamilton Daza: "I thank God for keeping me healthy again. I'm a bit worried but thanks to God everything is fine, it's nothing serious. The doctors have certified it's just pain and has nothing to do with heart problems. There's no need for anyone to be concerned. There's 'Mane' for a while."
It is anticipated that he will be discharged from the hospital just in time to celebrate the New Year at home with his family. Yesterday, the specialist hospital treating Luis Diaz's father issued a statement confirming: "Luis Manuel Diaz Jimenez is hospitalised in our centre receiving comprehensive specialised medical care.
"He will remain under strict management and surveillance with the aim of obtaining the best results for his health and his swift return to his family."
Luis Díaz was named as a substitute in his team's 3-1 Boxing Day triumph over Leicester but wasn't called upon by manager Arne Slot.
After enduring a kidnap nightmare for 12 days, Díaz Senior was released following negotiations facilitated by a Colombian priest near the Venezuelan border on November 9 last year. Amid this distressing time, his son continued to shine on the pitch, clinching a last-minute score in Liverpool's November 5 victory against Luton before jetting off to Colombia for national duties, resulting in a touching reunion with his father post-release.
Further adding to the emotional story, he netted twice for Colombia against Brazil while his father proudly watched from the crowd. The ELN, deemed terrorist by both the US and the EU, confessed to orchestrating the kidnapping, with Luis Manuel freed shortly thereafter.
One of the culprits, a friend of Luis Manuel named Yerdinson Bolívar Bolívar, was handed a prison sentence of just over four years in October after confessing his involvement in the kidnapping. Three other men apprehended in connection with the crime are still awaiting trial.
