*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:07, 24 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:05, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
Díaz made his senior international debut for
Colombia in 2018. He has earned over 40 caps for his national team, helping them to a third-place finish at the
2021 Copa América, and being awarded the
Golden Boot.
Club career
Atlético Junior
Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda was born on 13 January 1997 in
Barrancas, La Guajira,[3] and began playing football at the age of six.[4] Nicknamed "Luchito", he attended a small football school run by his father.[4] In 2014, at the age of 17, he attended an open trial hosted by
Atlético Junior and impressed enough to join the youth team.[4][5]
He was included in Colombia's 22-man squad for the 2015 Copa Americana de Pueblos Indígenas, due to his
Wayuu ethnicity.[6] After impressing during the tournament, he joined the senior team of
Atlético Junior in 2016, being immediately assigned to
farm teamBarranquilla.[7] Given Díaz's slender build[5] and a potentially
malnourished appearance, he was given a dietary plan by Barranquilla to gain 10 kg.[8]
On 10 July 2019, Díaz signed for Portuguese club
FC Porto on a five-year contract,[17] with the club buying 80% of his economic rights for a fee of €7 million.[18]Zenit Saint Petersburg had also wanted to sign him, but he was convinced otherwise by compatriot former Porto players
Radamel Falcao and
James Rodríguez, as well as his then national team coach
Carlos Queiroz.[18] Díaz also admitted that prior to his Porto move, he had signed a pre-contract with
Cardiff City, but the move never materialised.[19] Díaz made his debut on 7 August in a 1–0 win at
Krasnodar in the
UEFA Champions League first qualifying round first leg as a 55th-minute substitute for
Romário Baró,[20] and six days later in the return game he scored his first goal, albeit in a 3–2 loss at the
Estádio do Dragão.[21] Domestically, he made his
Primeira Liga debut on 10 August in a 2–1 loss at
Gil Vicente as a substitute, and a week later scored for the first to wrap up a 4–0 home win against
Vitória de Guimarães as a starter.[22] In November, he,
Mateus Uribe,
Agustín Marchesín and
Renzo Saravia were suspended from the derby against
Boavista for having partied the night before.[23]
In his first season in Portugal, Díaz totalled 50 appearances and 14 goals as Porto won the league and the
Taça de Portugal. In
the final of the latter on 1 August 2020, he was sent off after 38 minutes in a 2–1 win over
Benfica at the
Estádio Cidade de Coimbra.[24] On 21 October 2020, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–1 defeat against
Manchester City in the
2020–21 season.[25] On 23 December, Díaz came on as a 77th-minute substitute for
Mehdi Taremi in the
2020 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira against O Clássico rivals Benfica, and scored to confirm a 2–0 win.[26] The following 10 February, he was sent off in a 1–1 draw at
Braga in a cup semi-final for unintentionally breaking
David Carmo's leg; compatriot Uribe was also dismissed.[27]
2021–2022: Breakthrough and departure
On 11 September 2021, Díaz scored in a 1–1 away draw against
rivalsSporting CP.[28] On 9 October, he scored the only goal of a 1–0 Champions League group stage win over
AC Milan.[29]
With two goals in a 4–0 win over
Moreirense on 1 November, he reached five goals in his first six league games, best in the league;[30] On 28 November, he scored his tenth, a long-range effort in the 2–1 victory over
Vitória de Guimarães; this goal earned him the Primeira Liga Goal of the Month award.[31] His performances led to him being also named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month for October and November.[32]
On 19 December, Díaz was named the league's Forward of the Month for the second consecutive month, after scoring four goals and providing three assists.[33] Despite leaving Porto halfway through his final season, he was the joint seventh top scorer with 14 goals.[34] Despite leaving Porto in January 2022, he was issued with a winner's medal after the club won the
2021–22 Primeira Liga title.[35]
Liverpool
2022–2023
On 30 January 2022, Díaz signed a five-year contract at
Premier League club
Liverpool for a reported €45 million (£37.5 million) with €15 million (£12.5 million) add-ons.[36][37] Prior to signing for Liverpool, Díaz had attracted interest from
Tottenham Hotspur. Upon learning of Tottenham's bid, Liverpool changed their summer plans, and decided to sign Díaz on a permanent deal, after impressing Liverpool's manager
Jürgen Klopp.[38] He made his debut on 6 February, coming on as a 58th-minute substitute for
Curtis Jones in an
FA Cup fourth-round game at home to
Cardiff City. He assisted a goal by
Takumi Minamino in a 3–1 win.[39] Thirteen days later, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in his second league start for the club in a 3–1 home win over
Norwich City at
Anfield.[40] In the
2022 EFL Cup final on 27 February, he played the first 97 minutes of a goalless draw with
Chelsea that his team won on penalties.[41] On 5 April, in the first leg of the
Champions League quarter-finals, Díaz scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–1 away win against Benfica,[42] as Liverpool won 6–4 on aggregate.[43] On 19 April, Díaz scored within five minutes of a 4–0 victory against
Manchester United.[44] On 3 May, he scored the second goal in Liverpool's 3–2 away victory over
Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final, to secure his team's place in the final.[45] On 7 May, Díaz scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw to
Tottenham Hotspur.[46] On 14 May, he started in the
2022 FA Cup final against Chelsea, which Liverpool won 6–5 on penalties after a goalless draw, with Diaz being replaced by
Roberto Firmino in the 98th minute, as he was named
man of the match.[47] On 28 May, Diaz started in the 2022 Champions League final as Liverpool lost 1–0 to
Real Madrid.[48]
On 30 July 2022, Díaz started for Liverpool in the club's 3–1 win over
Manchester City in the
FA Community Shield at the
King Power Stadium.[49] Diaz started the new months of the season by scoring four goals and providing three assists, including a brace in Liverpool's
9–0 win over
AFC Bournemouth, which equalled the
joint-largest win in the history of the Premier League.[50] However, on 9 October, Díaz came off for Roberto Firmino in the 42nd minute of a game against
Arsenal due to an knee injury.[51] After seven months in the sidelines, Díaz made his return from injury on 17 April, replacing
Cody Gakpo in the 81st minute of a 6–1 away win over
Leeds United.[52] Having not registered a goal since 7 September 2022, Díaz returned to scoring ways on 30 April 2023, scoring Liverpool's second goal in their late 4–3 home win over Tottenham Hotspur, despite Liverpool leading the match by three goals at half time.[53]
2023–present
Diaz entered the
2023–24 season with a new shirt number, changing from 23 to 7.[54] On 13 August, Díaz scored his first goal of the season as his side drew 1–1 against Chelsea in the Premier League.[55] On 19 August, he scored an acrobatic volley in a 3–1 win against Bournemouth.[56] On 30 September, Díaz scored against
Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League away match, with the goal being disallowed by the
linesman for being
offside.
VAR did not intervene on the decision after an "unusually quick" review. After the match,
PGMOL admitted that the offside ruling was a "significant human error" and Díaz should have been awarded a goal.[57] Liverpool lost the game 2–1.[58] On 5 November, in the first match he played since the kidnapping of his parents, Díaz came on as a substitute and scored a late stoppage-time equaliser in a 1–1 Premier League draw away against
Luton Town.[59][60]
Díaz was included in Colombia's squad for the
2021 Copa América.[65] On 23 June, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 first round loss to hosts
Brazil with a bicycle kick,[66] and on 6 July he scored their goal in a semi-final draw against Argentina, which ended in an Argentine victory following a penalty shoot-out.[67] Three days later, he scored twice, including the match-winning goal, in a 3–2 victory over
Peru in the third-place match.[68] He ended as joint top goalscorer of the tournament alongside
Lionel Messi.[69][70]
On 16 November 2023, Díaz scored both goals as Colombia beat Brazil for the first time in a
FIFA World Cup qualifier.[71]
Personal life
Díaz is of
Wayuu origin, making him the first indigenous Colombian to represent Colombia.[72] His brother,
Jesús, is also a professional footballer.[73] In July 2023, Díaz got engaged to his girlfriend, Gera Ponce.[74]
On 29 October 2023, Díaz's mother Cilenis Marulanda and father Luis Manuel "Mane" Diaz were
kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in their hometown of
Barrancas.[75] His mother was rescued by police a day later, with a "major military search" announced to locate his father. Colombian President
Gustavo Petro stated that "all the public forces have been deployed" and the following day,
General William Rene Salamanca announced a reward of up to 200 million pesos for information on Díaz's father's whereabouts.[76] Díaz was absent for Liverpool's following Premier League match against
Nottingham Forest, with his teammate
Diogo Jota holding up Díaz's shirt during a goal celebration.[77] His father was released by the kidnappers on 9 November.[78]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 24 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Luis Díaz recebeu distinção Bet.pt Golo do Mês Liga NOS" [Luis Díaz received the Bet.pt Goal of the Month Liga NOS distinction] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.