Liverpool sold Luis Diaz last summer and he has been missed, offering a reminder of his quality during the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and PSG
Luis Diaz during the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and PSG.(Image: S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images)
In a fearsome frontline that also includes Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala, and lining up against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele, it takes something special to stand out.
The former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz did just that, though, in a Champions League semi-final for the ages at the Parc des Princes. Alongside his PSG counterpart Kvaratskhelia, he was the main attraction.
Diaz has already wrapped up the Bundesliga title under Vincent Kompany, and he might yet win the Champions League as well. Next Wednesday, at the Allianz Arena, there is everything to play for — and on this evidence, he might have another big role to play.
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Since leaving Merseyside last summer, Diaz has now scored 26 goals in all competitions while providing a further 20 assists for his teammates too.
It means the question of whether Liverpool should have sold him is inevitable. But for all that there will be suggestions that it shouldn’t have, not least after another excellent performance like this one, the transfer fee was good, and the player was 29. The logic was clear.
For all that his threat in the final third and his little bursts of pace to beat a man have been missing, though, Liverpool has lacked something else more than anything: his ability to drag his team up the pitch and away from danger.
Luis Diaz of Bayern Munich during the Champions League semi-final against PSG.(Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Sadio Mane, at his peak, was a master of being able to take the ball under pressure and dribble forward with it, holding off challenges and ensuring that any pressure his side was under was alleviated.
Diaz has a similar trait, as he showed many times against PSG. His driving runs with the ball at his feet transformed the game on the counter and his knack for seeing players bounce off him was a huge asset.
It was that quality that saw Marquinhos go into the referee’s book early on, and that driving forward with purpose that caused Willian Pacho to concede a penalty.
Of course, in one of the all-time great Champions League fixtures, it was PSG who was marginally more clinical. Kvaratskhelia, should PSG win the tournament in Budapest, is surely in pole position to secure the Ballon d’Or, but Diaz matched him on this occasion.
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It was only the finishing of those around him that made the difference on the night, with plenty still to play for.
There is still work to do for Luis Enrique’s men, even with a one-goal advantage, mainly because of Diaz dragging Bayern back into the contest. The quality that he showed on the big stage was a reminder of what Liverpool once had.
Getting as much as $88 million (£65 million) for a player who had only a couple of years left on his contract and wanted to move on in search of something new was a good deal for Liverpool.
It is simultaneously true, though, that the Colombian’s skillset has been missed in the last few months — not least his ability to drive forward from deep. Come the summer, it is an attribute that simply has to be replaced.