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Luis Diaz has been officially unveiled as a Bayern Munich player this week - although a chance meeting with a club legend may have set the ball in motion before his eventual departure from Liverpool.
The winger’s transfer to Germany was confirmed on Wednesday, with Diaz having left the Reds’ tour of Asia early in order to undergo a medical in Munich.
The Colombian had made his desire to leave Anfield clear this summer, having been linked with a move away for over a year, with Liverpool eventually agreeing an $87 million deal following a second bid from Bayern after knocking back previous approaches from the Bundesliga champion, as well as Barcelona.
Diaz spoke to the media for the first time as a Bayern player on Thursday, and detailed his reasons for making the move to Germany.
“I'm very happy to be here in Munich at this great club,” Diaz told the press conference. “My first impressions were very good. I've not had much time yet but I've been welcomed very warmly and look forward to getting to know everyone.
"I wanted to join FC Bayern because the club's aims are in line with mine and I wanted to move to a big team - the club has incredible history. We want to win everything. My aim is to help the club and have success as quickly as possible."
Diaz also lifted the lid on a chance meeting he had with Bayern legend Arjen Robben when the former Netherlands winger visited Liverpool last year.
“As everyone knows, Robben is a huge legend here, in his national team, and he's a role model for every kid. I met him at Liverpool because he came to watch one of our games,” Diaz explained.
“He visited the dressing room, and I asked for a photo without hesitation. Meeting him was a pleasure for me because I grew up watching him.”
Diaz leaves Liverpool despite the Reds having insisted earlier in the summer that he would not be for sale. He scored 41 goals during his time at Anfield, having joined from Porto in January 2022, and played an important role for Arne Slot during last season’s Premier League title win, often filling in as a No. 9.
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"Luis is a player we won the league with, and there’s a reason we won it with him because he’s a very good player," Slot said on Diaz’s departure (via The Athletic). "It’s always disappointing to see someone like that leave, to a certain extent.
"But on the other hand, we’ve sold him for a lot of money and, as you probably know even better than I do, this football club brings in unbelievable signings over the years, but part of the strategy is also that once in a while we have to sell someone.
"I think we did great business by bringing in Lucho for a number of years and then selling him for a very good profit. Lucho was a player who was a joy to work with because he always had a smile on his face every single day.
"I will remember him as someone who was a joy to work with and a Premier League title winner."
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