"I almost died, I almost said 'I love you', haha!" Luis Diaz told Colombian magazine SoHo about facing Lionel Messi on the pitch in the Copa America.
"Truly, he has always been my reference. My great idol was Ronaldinho, but since he is retired I was never able to play against him. The day I meet him, I am really going to die!
"I love Messi. The first time I had contact with him was in a Colombia game in Barranquilla, but I didn't start; I was just starting out in the national team.
"And then I came across him in the Copa America two years ago and it was a great emotion.
"I haven't exchanged shirts with him. But I already have his, I asked him through another player, he signed it for me and everything, he put 'with affection for Luis'."
Diaz faced Messi twice on the international stage in 2021, months before joining Liverpool.
Since then, Diaz himself has become one of the most exciting players at the top level, becoming a key player in Jurgen Klopp's team.
