Luis Manuel Diaz, 58, was released on Thursday by the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) 12 days after he was taken hostage on Oct 28 in Barrancas, a rural municipality where he lives in the northern province of La Guajira.

The winger remained with Liverpool through this period up to Sunday’s Premier League win over Brentford, before returning to Colombia ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil.

The Colombian FA shared pictures of the father and son’s emotional reunion on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption “we are family.”

Diaz’s father has said he would remain in Colombia despite his difficult kidnapping experience.

“My aspirations are to continue in my town because I have my entire family in my town,” he told a press conference on Friday.