SEMANA habló con Luis Manuel Mane Díaz, padre del jugador de la Selección Colombia y del Bayern Múnich, Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda . Entre los muchos temas de conversación, resaltó uno en particular: la candidatura para que Luis Díaz pueda aspirar al Balón de Oro, según James Rodríguez.
Luis Díaz reveló sus cuatro selecciones favoritas para ganar el Mundial 2026: “Me gustan”
James, capitán de la Selección Colombia, habló con los medios de comunicación apenas llegaron a Guadalajara. Allí será el campamento base de La Tricolor en la cita orbital, y Rodríguez dejó una declaración que le da la vuelta al mundo.
“Claro. ¿Por qué no? Para mí está top cinco ahora. Lucho ha hecho una temporada única y bueno, si llega a una gran final y podemos quedar campeones, Lucho Balón de Oro. ¿Por qué no?”, dijo James Rodríguez.
🇨🇴 El reconocimiento de James Rodríguez para Luis Díaz.
El capitán de Colombia aseguró que Lucho está entre los mejores futbolistas del mundo y lo postuló como candidato al Balón de Oro tras su gran temporada. pic.twitter.com/9ZfsjkcEL8
— Pablo Giralt (@giraltpablo) June 12, 2026
SEMANA: ¿Qué sensación le genera que James Rodríguez diga eso?
Mane Díaz : Lo está diciendo uno de los talentos de nosotros, de nuestra Colombia, de nuestra selección. Un jugador clásico, un jugador top. Reconozco que James es un jugador brillante, tiene mucho talento, es un personaje. Si lo dice él, lo acepto.
Yo estoy consciente que Lucho, por su temporada, por lo que es Luis, tiene derecho a merecerse un Balón de Oro. Es un sueño de nosotros que él sea Balón de Oro y el Mundial lo haga para pelear el Balón de Oro. Estoy seguro que no es como la gente dice, que está en el top 100 y en el top 20, porque está en el top 10 de los jugadores del mundo.
La historia de Luis Díaz contada por su padre: de caminar largas distancias para ser profesional, a estar en el top mundial
SEMANA : ¿Cuándo fue ese primer momento que pensó que Luis Díaz podría llegar a ser futbolista?
M.D. : Recuerdo que la niñez de Luis fue una niñez bonita. Yo manejaba un proceso de escuela de formación con deportistas de una edad más alta que Luis, cuando él era chico. A los cuatro años, Lucho quería ir a práctica porque ya veía a los demás. Al final, decidí llevarlo y comenzó.
A eso de los ocho años comenzó a experimentar el talento, a explotar lo que ya había aprendido en dos o tres años que yo lo llevaba a la escuela. Luego, tuvo un proceso de una selección con el Cerrejón, que participó en un torneo en Barranquilla, con diez años, donde Lucho terminó siendo el jugador del evento por su nivel, por su categoría. Era un pelado pequeñito, delgadito, todo flaquito y todo, pero tenía muchas hazañas, era muy técnico, amarraba mucho la pelota, corría mucho.
SEMANA : ¿Y cómo fue el momento en la Selección Indígena?
M.D. : Tuve la oportunidad de dirigir una selección de los indígenas, cuando él tenía 16 años, y lo llevamos. El Cabildo dijo: ‘tenemos que llevar a Luis porque no lo podemos dejar’, sabiendo que la selección era indígena. Pero lo llevamos y estuvo en la Copa América que se llevó a cabo en Chile.
Ahí también lo reconocieron como uno de los mejores jugadores del evento, a esa edad. Cuando llegó a Barranquilla, que lo vieron, eso lo llevó al Barranquilla FC, que es la categoría segunda división del Junior. Me di cuenta que Lucho tenía mucho talento y que podía alcanzar muchas cosas, porque además de ser un buen deportista, era un muchacho muy educado. Mantenía mucha disciplina, se esforzaba por sus cosas, siempre era de la casa, no le gustaba la calle. Siempre preocupado por ver partidos y seguir jugadores que tenían buen nivel en ese entonces.
SESMANA : ¿Recuerda esos momentos difíciles que tuvieron que atravesar con Luis Díaz?
M.D. : A nosotros nos tocó un proceso muy difícil con Luis. Nosotros venimos de una familia completamente humilde. Los viejos de nosotros dependían de lo que ellos alcanzaban a cultivar. Mi papá era un agricultor de tradición, igual mi mamá.
Lucho tuvo momentos difíciles cuando llegó a esos microciclos del Barranquilla. Llegamos a un momento que estuvimos a punto de regresar de Barranquilla a La Guajira, porque no nos daban los recursos como para sostenernos ahí, porque había que pagar la pensión, alimentación, transporte.
A Lucho le tocó caminar cuadras distantes, porque estábamos en Las Nieves y le tocó hacer recorrido hasta Soledad, donde dice Malambo, donde está la sede del Barranquilla, para alcanzar a los entrenamientos. También se transportó en moto, y pedíamos colaboración a aquellas personas que en ese momento estaban muy bien. Gracias a Dios, contamos con la suerte y nos tropezamos con un muchacho que hoy en día es el representante de Luis, el empresario.
Mane Díaz aclara que, más allá de las dificultades que tenían como familia, se decidieron a luchar y quedarse para acompañar a Lucho en su proceso. Luego, llegó la veeduría y se les abrió una puerta diferente.
SEMANA: ¿Cómo se sintieron, como familia, cuando Luis D…
Read the full article at Semana →📄Source document: FIFA→19 reports
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Bias read (Center): The article focuses on sports events with no explicit political commentary, framing, or bias. It provides factual information about match schedules, player performances, and broadcasting details without taking a stance on any political issue.
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Bias read (Center): The article provides factual information about upcoming sports matches without any political commentary, framing, or biased language. It focuses solely on scheduling details and the competitive nature of the matches, which are standard in sports journalism.
Official sources cited
- press release AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
- organisation FIFA
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Bias read (Center): The article focuses on a sports event with no explicit political commentary or framing. It objectively reports on the match outcome, player performance, and fan reactions without taking a stance or using biased language.
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Bias read (Center): The article focuses on sports performance and does not take a political stance. It reports on the match events without ideological framing or biased language.
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Bias read (Center): The article provides factual information about a sports event, focusing on player discussions and tactical preparations without taking a political stance or showing bias toward any side.
Official sources cited
- press release Néstor Lorenzo Press Conference
- organisation FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K Schedule
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Bias read (Center): The article focuses on sports outcomes and future matches without any overt political commentary or biased framing. It reports objectively on the game results and implications for upcoming fixtures.
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