Luis Diaz was back on the pitch but not for Liverpool as he returned to where it all started for him as part of a special farewell for a former team-mate.
Liverpool’s new No. 7 has spent his most of his summer break back in his native Colombia and just days before he will report to pre-season, he laced up his boots to play in a special match for an old friend.
Atletico Junior, Diaz’s first club, were saying goodbye to goalkeeper Sebastian Viera, who played for the club for 12 years, lifting seven trophies and playing 639 games.
Diaz played 91 of those matches alongside Viera and was invited back for his farewell match on Saturday, which saw the current Junior squad face off against the goalkeeper’s friends.
Diaz received a warm welcome on his return to his former stomping ground as he and his daughter made their way onto the pitch before the match.
In the end, it was a convincing 5-0 win for Junior – although, Diaz, wearing the No. 23 on this occasion, missed a penalty early on after striking the upright.
We will take that as him being kind to Viera, it was his farewell after all!
Diaz played on the left wing at the Estadio Metropolitano and it is where we will see him plenty this coming season for Liverpool.
The 26-year-old managed just 21 appearances last season after a serious knee injury kept him out of the team for six months.
There may have been a few concerns to see him on the pitch so close to pre-season but it will have been a good way to blow out the cobwebs before he returns to the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday.
There will be anticipation of having him readily available alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez – a forward line capable of tearing any defence apart.
