Who Is Luis Diaz: Early Life, Education, Career, Personal Life, Net Worth

Sally Polly June 12, 2022 | 01:47

Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda (born 13 January 1997) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Premier League club Liverpool and the Colombia national team. Take a look at his full biography below.

Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda (born 13 January 1997) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Liverpool and the Colombia national team.

Díaz began his professional career in the Colombian Second Division at Barranquilla, before moving to Junior, winning Categoría Primera A, one Copa Colombia and one Superliga Colombiana. In 2019, he joined Porto for a reported fee of €7 million, winning two doubles of Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal, and one Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. After 14 league goals in 18 league games in the first half of 2021–22, Liverpool signed him in a transfer worth €45 million (£37.5 million). He won the EFL Cup and FA Cup in his first season, and was man of the match in the latter final.

Díaz made his senior international debut for Colombia in 2018. He has earned over 30 caps for his country, helping the national team to a third place finish at the 2021 Copa América, and being awarded the Golden Boot as joint top goalscorer of the tournament alongside Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Here is Luis Diaz's career life, education, career, personal life, and net worth.

Who Is Luis Diaz?

Photo: Sporting News

Luis Diaz is a Colombian professional football player who plays as a winger for the Premier League Liverpool and the Colombia national team. Diaz is a youth graduate of Barranquilla, from where he started his professional career in 2016. In July 2017, he joined Atletico Junior, where he won two Categoria Primera A, one Copa Colombia, and one Superliga Colombiana. In July 2019, he signed with the Portuguese club, FC Porto. He won two Primeira Liga titles, two Taca de Portugal, and one Supertaca Candido de Oliveira. Following a successful campaign in Portugal, he received interest from European clubs. He signed with the Premier League club, Liverpool in 2022. He was part of Liverpool that won the FA Cup, and EFL Cup in 2022, the same year she finished runner-up in the Champions League.

Early Life, Parents And Upbringing

Photo: Goal.com

Luis Diaz (full name: Luis Fernando Diaz Marulanda) was born on 13 January 1997 in Barrancas, Colombia. His is a member of the Wayuu – the largest indigenous community in Colombia.

As a youngster, one of Diaz’s hobbies was to watch large trains go by his small village of Barrancas several times per day, carrying coal from the Cerrejon, one of the world’s biggest open pit coal mines.

Early on in his youth career, Diaz was coached by former Colombia international John ‘Pocillo’ Diaz after he was called up to represent his national side at the the Copa America of Indigenous People in mid-2015.

Diaz suffered from malnutrition in his younger years and ‘Pocillo’ Diaz admitted that the winger looked underweight when he first met him.

“For a moment, we thought it would be very difficult for him to perform because Lucho seemed to have malnutrition problems – he was very skinny and lost the duels with other players,” ‘Pocillo’ Diaz said in an interview with BBC Sport.

“But despite that, he managed to stand out among 400 candidates and make the 26-man squad. He initially played as a striker, but had one big issue in his game. He used to run with the ball with his head down, so sometimes he didn’t even notice that he had reached the end of the pitch.

“He was very fast and had a very good technique, the ball would stick to his foot like glue.”

Career

Photo: Getty Images

Atlético Junior

Díaz was born in Barrancas, La Guajira, and began playing football at the age of six. Nicknamed "Luchito", he attended a small football school run by his father. In 2014, at the age of 17, he attended an open trial hosted by Atlético Junior and impressed enough to join the youth team. He was included in Colombia's 22-man squad for the 2015 Copa Americana de Pueblos Indígenas, due to his Wayuu ethnicity. After impressing during the tournament, he joined the senior team of Atlético Junior in 2016, being immediately assigned to farm team Barranquilla. Given Díaz's slender build and a potentially malnourished appearance, he was given a dietary plan by Barranquilla to gain 10 kg.

Díaz made his senior debut on 26 April 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 Categoría Primera B home loss against Deportivo Pereira. His first senior goal came on 14 May, as he scored the winner in a 2–1 home defeat of Cúcuta Deportivo.

On 6 June 2017, after already making his first team debut in the year's Copa Colombia, Díaz was subsequently promoted to Junior's main squad. He made his Categoría Primera A debut on 27 August, replacing Matías Mier in a 3–2 loss at Once Caldas, and scored his first goal on 20 September in a 3–1 Copa Sudamericana home win against Cerro Porteño.

Díaz became a regular starter during the 2018 season, and scored his first goal in the top tier on 4 February of that year, by netting the game's only in a home success over Atlético Bucaramanga. He also added braces against Once Caldas, Atlético Huila and Rionegro Águilas, ending the campaign with 16 goals overall.

Porto

Photo: 90min

Transfer

On 10 July 2019, Díaz signed for Portuguese club FC Porto on a five-year contract, with the club buying 80% of his economic rights for a fee of €7 million. 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 national coach Carlos Queiroz. Díaz also admitted that prior to his Porto move, he had signed a pre-contract with Cardiff City, but the move never materialised.

2019–21: Development and adaptation to Portugal

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, and six days later in the return game he scored his first goal, albeit in a 3–2 loss at the Estádio do Dragão. 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. In November, he, Mateus Uribe, Agustín Marchesín and Renzo Saravia were suspended from the derby against Boavista for having partied the night before.

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. On 21 October 2020, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on his debut in a 1–3 defeat against Manchester City in the 2020–21 season.

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. 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.

2021–22: Breakthrough and departure

Photo: CNN

On 11 September 2021, Díaz scored in a 1–1 away draw against rivals Sporting CP. On 9 October, he scored the only goal of a 1–0 UEFA Champions League group stage win over A.C. Milan.

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; 27 days later 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. His performances led to him being also named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month for October and November.

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. Despite leaving Porto halfway through his final season, he was the joint seventh top scorer with 14 goals. He, Sérgio Oliveira and Jesús Manuel Corona, all of whom left in January 2022, were issued with league winners' medals.

Liverpool

On 30 January 2022, while on international duty for Colombia in Argentina, 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. Prior to signing for Liverpool, Díaz had attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur. Upon knowing Tottenham's bid, Liverpool changed their summer plans, and decided to sign Díaz on a permanent deal, after impressing Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp.

On 6 February, he made his debut for the club, 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 the 3–1 win. Thirteen days later, scored his first goal for Liverpool in his second league start for the club, concluding a 3–1 home win over Norwich City at Anfield. On 27 February in the 2022 EFL Cup Final, he played the first 97 minutes of a goalless draw with Chelsea that his team won on penalties.

On 5 April, in the first leg of the quarter-finals, Díaz scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–1 away win against his former club's rivals Benfica at the Estádio da Luz, as Liverpool won 6–4 on aggregate. He started in the 2022 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, a 6–5 victory on penalties after a goalless draw. Substituted for Roberto Firmino after 98 minutes, he was named Player of the Match.

International career

Photo: Liverpool FC

After representing Colombia at under-20 level in the 2017 South American U-20 Championship, Díaz was called up to the full squad on 27 August 2018, for friendlies against Venezuela and Argentina. He made his full international debut on 11 September, replacing Juan Cuadrado in a 0–0 draw against the latter at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Díaz scored his first international goal on 26 March 2019, equalising in a 2–1 friendly loss away to South Korea. He was part of Carlos Queiroz' 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil.

Díaz was included in Colombia's squad for the 2021 Copa América. On 23 June, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 first round loss to hosts Brazil with a bicycle kick, 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. Three days later, he scored twice, including the match-winning goal, in a 3–2 victory over Peru in the third-place match. He ended as joint top goalscorer of the tournament alongside Lionel Messi.

Luis Diaz Girlfriend

Luis Diaz is not married. However, the Colombian star is not single. He is dating a beautiful girl, Gera Ponce where he had shared a couple of pictures with her on his social media accounts. The couple shares a daughter together.

Luis Diaz Height and Weight

Luis Diaz stands at a height of 1.80m i.e. 5 feet and 11 inches tall. He has a bodyweight of 65kg. He has an athletic body build. His eye color and hair color are black. His sexual orientation is straight.

Luis Diaz Net Worth and Salary

Luis Diaz earns from his professional career as a football player. He started his football career at Barranquilla in 2016 and has played for Atletico Junior and Porto before joining Liverpool in 2022. He signed with Liverpool reportedly for €45 million with €15 million add-ons. He has an annual salary of around €4 million at Liverpool. His income is from contracts, salaries, bonuses, and endorsement deals. At present, his net worth is estimated at around €2 million.

Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking after Luis Diaz’s first two appearances for the Reds: “Luis is a top boy, a top class player. He showed that already in two appearances he had for us. He is a new player, we have to get used to new things in a team, we have all other players fit and they know exactly what I want from them.

“We give Luis a little bit more time to adapt to it. He is an incredible player, his joy and love for football is so obvious. When you see him training, he cannot stop smiling. I have never had a player like this. It’s crazy. We are so, so happy to have him here. It’s absolutely great.

“We expect a lot from him in the future. Now already but in the future as well. I have a good feeling it will be a really nice story with Luis at Liverpool.”

Did You Know?

He wears shirt number 7 for Porto FC.
On 10 June 2021, he scored twice, including the match-winning goal, in a 3-2 victory over Peru in the third-place match of the 2021 Copa America.
2021 Copa America Top Goal Scorer.

Luis Diaz is the world’s 8th most valuable player

Luis Diaz is the world’s 8th most valuable player, according to one study. Liverpool boast two more in the top 30.

CIES Football Observatory released their list of the world’s most valuable players this week. The study looks at the overall value of a player by using their reputation, the club they play for, their age and the length of their contract.

Understandably, Kylian Mbappé tops the list. His new contract with Paris Saint-Germain sees to that and he’s the only player worth more than €200m.

The next two are Vinicius Jr. and Erling Haaland – again, young players at rich clubs. Pedri and Jude Bellingham then round out the top five, with Phil Foden and Frenkie de Jong 6th and 7th respectively.

And then comes the first Liverpool player – Luis Diaz. CIES have his value at around €110m and he’s by far the most valuable Reds on this list. He sits just ahead of Ruben Dias and Ferran Torres, who make up the rest of the top 10.

As for other Liverpool stars, there are two more in the top 30. Trent Alexander-Arnold sits at 25th and Diogo Jota at 27th. Alisson Becker is the next Red in 50th place and that’s really the last of the relevant players.

Given Liverpool boast one of the world’s best squads, three players in the top 30 and four in the top 50 isn’t exactly a lot. But it’s a sign of the current state of that squad.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, Thiago, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino are all over 30. That reduces their overall value, as does the fact that Salah, Mané and Firmino all have just one more year on their contracts.

Diaz might not have the same reputation as the others but his immediate worth to Liverpool, combined with a long-term contract and being only 25, raises his value above all. Honestly, our only complaints would be that Alexander-Arnold should be higher and that Andy Robertson should be somewhere in the mix.

But Diaz isn’t a shock and Liverpool may well consider him to be their most valuable asset right now. Jurgen Klopp labelled him ‘outstanding’ recently and the Colombian certainly does things to an incredible level.

It’s very possible that Diaz’s value actually climbs over the next year. His rapid start suggests that might be the case.

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