‘Short and thin’ – Luis Díaz’s long road from Barrancas to Liverpool

Díaz’s father, Luis Manuel Díaz, plays keepy uppy in front of a mural of his son. The family home, located in the Barrancas neighbourhood of Llaneras, is opposite a football pitch where Díaz first learnt how to play. His father is still training players at the local Club Baller, which has 130 children in different categories. Photograph: Charlie Cordero/The Guardian

Barrancas is a town like many others across Colombia. From the early hours of the morning, motorbikes and tuk-tuks dart up and down the small town’s high street, beeping past pedestrians and zipping around street vendors as they line up their plantain and fresh produce under the shade of mango trees to shelter from the scorching sun.

Locals cluster around monitors on the pavement and try their luck at a digital version of roulette. In reality though, there is only one number that locals have their hopes on: Luis Díaz’s number 23.