Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Saturday that the mother of Colombian and Liverpool player Luis Díaz had been successfully rescued following her kidnapping in northern Colombia.
However, efforts were still underway to locate his missing father.
The Colombian attorney general’s office had previously formed a team of investigators to conduct a search for the couple in Barrancas, a municipality located in Colombia’s northern La Guajira province.
The National Police verified the successful rescue of Díaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, and reported that she had a conversation with Director William Rene Salamanca.
In a video message, Salamanca emphasised that all available resources were being mobilised to locate Díaz’s father.
The parents of 26-year-old Díaz were reportedly abducted while driving to their residence. Gunmen on motorcycles intercepted them and forcibly took them away in their vehicles, as confirmed by authorities.
Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday, acknowledging their awareness of the situation.
“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity,” the statement read. “In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
The forward was not named in Liverpool’s Premier League game at Anfield against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
“We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Díaz,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said ahead of the game.
“It’s a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before; it’s a new experience I never needed.”
The Colombian soccer federation, in an official statement, expressed deep regret over the kidnapping incident and called on authorities to ensure the safe rescue of Luis Díaz’s father.
Luis Díaz, a player with 43 appearances for the Colombian national team, has chosen not to make any public statements regarding the incident.
Liverpool, a Premier League club, made a significant multi-million-dollar signing in January 2022 by bringing in winger Luis Díaz from the Portuguese club Porto. Since joining the Premier League giants, he has made 58 appearances and scored 14 goals.