Between a dirt court and a coal mine, this is how Luis Díaz was forged 3:08
(CNN) --
The Diaz-Brito family home sits at the end of a leafy lane in a large mining town in northwestern Colombia, but it could also be just around the corner from Anfield Stadium for passion. who breathes when Liverpool is playing.
The town of Barrancas is the birthplace of Luis Fernando Díaz, a 25-year-old Colombian winger who has taken the Premier League by storm this year, starring in Liverpool's FA Cup triumph and in the close race for the English football title. .
This Saturday, May 28, Díaz will have the opportunity to do something that no Colombian footballer has done before: play in a Champions League final and win it, when Liverpool take on Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris.
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At home, signs of Diaz's march to victory are present on every wall, from a series of cups and trophies in the room to a full-size cardboard cutout of the striker in action.
Outside, graffiti of the prodigal son in the Colombian national team jersey looks out at passers-by, while the shields of his clubs are painted on the side.
Diaz's footballing odyssey has taken the 25-year-old from humble Cluballer FC down the road to mighty Colombian club Atlético Junior, Porto FC in Portugal and then Liverpool FC.
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Diaz's ability to maintain close control of the ball while running at a breakneck pace quickly made him one of the most admired players in Europe.
Often coming off the left flank onto his stronger right foot, Diaz's technique and finishing always pose a threat in front of goal, but he also has the vision and ability to select a pass.
Champions League: Liverpool is in the final with Luis Díaz in the lead 1:47
"To be honest, for the family and the whole community, we still haven't realized how much growth he's had," Robert Fernandez, one of Diaz's former coaches, told CNN.
“It was so fast: he played one season at Barranquilla FC, then two seasons at Junior as champion and runner-up of the South American, he goes to Porto and wins everything there is to win there, he goes to Liverpool for half a season and just won another [ trophy].
This Saturday he plays the Champions League against Real, like you do... In other words, it's still inexplicable for us, "said Fernández.
a family tradition
During games, the whole family gathers around the television.
Friends and neighbors, most of whom refer to Diaz with a series of nicknames referring to his cunning physique such as "noodle" or "skinny" also pass by.
Someone can sport an original shirt signed by the champion, but for most, a simple red shirt will do.
Every time Diaz receives the ball, regardless of his position on the field, he erupts in a flurry of 'gasps' and 'heh!'
Here, everyone has a story about the champion: someone remembers that he used to play in flip flops, others saw him score 17 goals in a match against the team from the nearest city.
At some point they all played with him on the dusty field in front of the house, a small plot with not enough stones and rocks to discourage local youngsters from replicating the likes of Ronaldinho or Lionel Messi on timeless afternoons.
Díaz's father, Luis Manuel, was the first and closest coach.
A soccer enthusiast and amateur player, he used to coach the local coal mine teams after the miners' shifts and would bring his children to watch and learn.
After Luis Fernando, two more sons have become footballers.
A mining town with few opportunities to train athletes, which Díaz wants to change
Barrancas is a typical rural town in the Colombian countryside.
The surrounding region, La Guajira, is one of the poorest in the country, wedged between the sea, the desert and the mountains that mark the border with Venezuela.
La Guajira suffers from a chronic lack of job opportunities.
In Barrancas, the largest provider of employment is the same mine where Díaz's father taught soccer.
It is called Cerrejón, the big hill, and it is the largest open pit coal mine in South America.
Three times a day, groups of miners from surrounding towns board buses and enter the mine.
It is a dry and polluted world.
It is not an easy place to grow up, much less become a professional athlete.
Hundreds of children from the Wayuu indigenous people, who have settled here since before the arrival of the conquerors.
Diaz himself has Wayuu heritage and although his family says they never faced extreme poverty, a charity has already been established to help local children achieve better opportunities.
It is run by Díaz's cousin, José Brito, who has a technical degree in mining engineering, but said he was lucky to avoid the coal pit by working for his cousin.
Díaz still returns to Barrancas as often as he can, Fernández says, and not much has changed since his days here as a child.
“Whenever he comes back here, one of the things he asks for is to play with his close friends, the ones who played with him at Cluballer FC, the local club here in Barrancas,” he says.
The last time he came just after the Copa América, he even played with his father, then his cousins, friends, neighbors, former teammates.
I coached one team and another friend coached the other.
Who won?
Who do you think, of course who won, destroyed the other team.
We won five to zero”, Fernandez recalled.
Big plans are in the works as Diaz's march for glory has proven to be a catalyst for political and economic support.
The Colombian Ministry of Sports is helping Díaz's foundation provide coaches and physical education teachers.
The family wants to build a new facility with plots, gyms and classrooms on land outside the city center.
Brito believes the mining town, which supplied Colombia with coal for this generation, could soon start producing a new generation of soccer players inspired by his cousin's career.
On the day Liverpool won the FA Cup after beating Chelsea on penalties, a match in which Diaz was awarded Man of the Match, his grandfather sent a rocket (fireworks) into the sky.
New sparks to illuminate the same field where his grandson took her first steps in a remarkable soccer journey.
Look: The most unexpected Champions League final for Real Madrid
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