06/18/26 10:03:00
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06/18 00:52 CDT Colombia's Luis Daz stars in World Cup debut, less than 3
years after his parents' kidnapping
Colombia's Luis Daz stars in World Cup debut, less than 3 years after his
parents' kidnapping
By JACK LITTLE
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) --- After contributing a goal and an assist in his World Cup
debut, Colombia's Luis Daz walked to the sidelines to look for his father.
They spotted each other, fulfilling a dream that was years in the making.
"A lot of things came to me from the past," Daz said after Colombia beat
Uzbekistan 3-1 on Wednesday night. "I worked for this. I fought to be here at
this moment."
First, Colombia failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Then his parents were
kidnapped.
In late 2023, Luis Manuel "Mane" Daz and his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, were
captured by armed guerillas at the Colombia-Venezuela border. Marulanda was
quickly rescued, but Mane Daz was not.
Luis Daz, playing for Liverpool at the time, missed two games to return home
to Barrancas and advocate for his father's freedom. Upon his return to the
club, he scored and revealed an undershirt with the words "Freedom for Papa"
printed in Spanish.
The gesture garnered international support and increased pressure on the
Colombian government to act. Mane was released after being held for 12 days,
and father and son had an emotional embrace when they reunited.
This week, Daz's father posted a viral video of himself praying over his son's
jersey ahead of his first World Cup game.
Daz, who now plays for Bayern Munich, scored the go-ahead goal shortly after
Uzbekistan equalized to lift Colombia to its first World Cup victory since 2018
while his father watched from the stands.
"I think there was always something that kept us from being at ease," Daz
said. "I think that today, I am at my best."
___
Jack Little is a student in the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media
Institute.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
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