- Luis Diaz was sold by Liverpool last summer and has flourished in Germany
- The Colombian scored a stunning goal as Bayern Munich lost 5-4 to PSG in a Champions League classic
- Reds fans have been vocal on social media, with Cody Gakpo drawing inevitable comparisons
Luis Diaz lit up the Parc des Princes on Tuesday (28 April) night, albeit in a losing cause, and Liverpool fans watched on – and felt every second of it.
In the highest-scoring semi-final in Champions League history, Bayern Munich fell to a frantic 5-4 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain and it was a former Anfield favourite who stole the headlines.
Luis Díaz, the Colombian winger sold by the Reds last July for a fee of £65.5 million, was at the heart of the chaos for the Bavarian giants. Despite the defeat, the 29-year-old continued his blistering form since arriving in Germany, netting Bayern’s fourth goal in the 68th minute to keep the tie on a knife-edge.
While Liverpool used the funds from his departure to overhaul their squad with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Díaz has flourished in Munich, racking up 24 goals this season. His clinical performance at the Parc des Princes serves as a bittersweet reminder for the Kop of the world-class quality they let go last summer.
Diaz brought it back to 5-4 after taking down Harry Kane’s sublime long ball, cutting onto his right and firing into the far corner. The flag went up for offside, VAR intervened, and the goal stood.
It was exactly the kind of moment that made the Kop fall in love with him – instinctive, brave, and brilliantly executed on the biggest stage imaginable.
For Liverpool supporters watching from their sofas, it was a complicated kind of hurt.
What Liverpool fans are saying
Fans took to social media to express their frustrations over the board’s decision to sell Diaz last summer, with Gakpo also on the receiving end of criticism.
One described the Merseyside-based club’s decision to offload the 29-year-old as “ridiculous”.
Another believes selling Diaz and keeping Gakpo is one of Liverpool’s biggest mistakes of all time.
It was clearly a sentiment shared by a large section of the fanbase.
The reaction was immediate and pointed. It is telling that the name being mentioned alongside Diaz’s was not Kane or Jamal Musiala. It was Gakpo.
The Dutchman, who has eight goals and six assists this season, has endured a difficult season at Anfield – peripheral in big games, inconsistent in front of goal, and rarely able to impose himself on matches the way Diaz routinely did during his time on Merseyside and continues to do in Munich.
The contrast felt brutal on Tuesday night. the Columbian was cutting inside on the grandest stage in club football. Gakpo, retained as his replacement, has too often cut an uninspiring figure in a Liverpool side struggling to rediscover its attacking identity.
It is the kind of comparison that is hard to argue with in the moment – and social media had no interest in arguing against it.
ReadLiverpool verdict
Here is the thing, though. As much as Tuesday night stung, I believe the six-time European champions were right to sell Diaz.
That is not easy to say watching him thrive in a Champions League semi-final, but the decision made sense then, and it still makes sense now.
The former Porto talisman was in the final two years of his contract and showed little urgency to commit his future to the club, turning down two offers.
Liverpool had identified Diaz as a luxury under Arne Slot’s more structured system, which demands different qualities from its wide forwards than the freedom and chaos Diaz thrived in under Jurgen Klopp.
Keeping a player of his wages and profile who does not fit the tactical blueprint is a luxury the Merseyside-based club could not afford during a rebuild.
The £65.5m received was fair value for a player set to turn 29, with contract uncertainty, and the funds were reinvested as part of a broader reshaping of the squad.
It was rather refreshing to see the club cash in on someone at the right time, rather than lose talent on free transfers, as has become the trend at Anfield in recent years.
As for Gakpo, the frustration is understandable, but the verdict is premature. He is 26, has played through a disrupted season, and has shown enough in flashes to suggest the best of him is still ahead.
The Cody Gakpo, who assisted Mohamed Salah‘s goal and drove the Reds forward in the second half in the Merseyside derby against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier this month is still in there.
Diaz’s Tuesday night was spectacular, but Liverpool fans have seen spectacular from Gakpo too – and with another full pre-season under Slot and a healthier squad around him, next season could tell a very different story.
The grass looks greener. It usually does when someone else is watering it under the Champions League floodlights.
Slot’s side moved on from Diaz for good reasons. The job is now making sure Gakpo justifies the faith shown in keeping him.
