Luis Diaz has been linked with Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the January transfer window.
Here is what you need to know about the forward and how he compares to his potential counterparts.
Facts and Attributes
The 25-year-old currently plays his football in Portugal for FC Porto and has been there since the 2019/20 season after moving over from his home country Colombia.
Diaz usually operates on the left side of the attack, using his pace and effective dribbling to terrorise defenders. He is fairly lean, having previously suffered from malnutrition, but uses this to his advantage when taking on his opposition.
So far this season, Diaz has scored 14 goals and assisted his teammates four times in 18 league appearances. He has also netted two goals in the Champions League, both of them coming in fixtures against AC Milan, which was enough to secure a Europa League spot in one of the toughest groups in the competition.
Copa America
Before his dazzling display this season, Diaz had a special campaign for Colombia in last summer’s Copa America.
After a slow start, including a red card in their second game, Diaz kicked into gear after he scored an audacious bicycle kick against finalists Brazil.
In their semi-final against Argentina, the winger was pivotal in taking the game to penalties. He scored the equaliser in the game and proved too much for right-back, Nahuel Molina, to deal with as he was subsequently substituted at half-time.
His brace in the third-place play-off against Peru, which included a 94th-minute winner, helped Colombia to their joint-best finish in the competition since 2001. He also finished joint top-scorer in the tournament alongside Lionel Messi.
Comparison to Premier League wingers
Diaz has drawn a lot of comparisons to Premier League wingers like Heung-Min Son, Mohamed Salah, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka.
The Columbian forward averages more goals per 90 than the aforementioned players but Salah beats Diaz when total goal contributions are involved. Liverpool’s number 11 is also the only player to average more shots per 90 than the FC Porto forward but both Sterling (45.7%) and Son (43.2%) hit the target more often than Diaz (41.9%).
When it comes to dribbling, Diaz does not disappoint. He has a higher percentage of successful dribbles than his counterparts and has dribbled past more players too.
Only Sterling (84.7%) has a higher pass completion rate than Diaz (82%) when considering all distances. Diaz has completed the most long ball passes out of all the players but this is with a smaller sample size. He also creates more key passes (2.2) per game than Salah (1.85) and Son (1.88), who come closest to him.
It has been reported that Tottenham have offered £50 million for the winger but Porto remain persistent that any interested clubs should pay the £67 million release clause. Both Manchester clubs have also been linked with Diaz along with Liverpool.
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Emiliano Martinez continues to show his quality on the big stage as he helps Argentina to their first Copa America title in 28 years.
The 28-year-old became the first player from Argentina to win the Golden Glove at the tournament, keeping four clean sheets including one in the final. His performance in the semi-final was vital for La Albiceleste as he saved three penalties in a shootout against Colombia.
After joining Arsenal in 2010, Martinez was loaned out six times to clubs such as Reading, Wolves, and Sheffield Wednesday. Struggling to make an impression, the highest number of league appearances the keeper made during any of his loan spells was 18 at Reading.
When the Gunners played Brighton in June 2020 during Project Restart, first-choice keeper Bernd Leno was injured after colliding with Neal Maupay. Leno suffered a season-ending injury, giving Martinez the chance he had waited ten years for.
Although there were only nine league games left in the season, Arsenal were still in the FA Cup and had the chance to salvage what had been a very poor season. Mikel Arteta trusted Martinez with the role and it paid off for the Spaniard.
The Argentine started all nine remaining league games along with every cup fixture on their way to lifting the trophy. He was an important factor in Arsenal improving their record against ‘Top 6’ teams, a record which had haunted fans for many seasons.
Then league champions Liverpool visited the Emirates on their mission to break the record for most points in a league season. Arsenal took a 2-1 lead in the first half, forcing them to sit back for the remaining 45 minutes. Martinez made huge saves during this game including a late stunner to stop Trent Alexander-Arnold from equalising.
Martinez also kept a clean sheet in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, causing a massive upset as Pep Guardiola’s side were massive favourites going into the game. He then continued this form in the final against Chelsea as he lifted his first FA Cup with the club.
In the lead-up to the 2020/21 season, Arsenal chose to keep Leno as their first-choice keeper, leading to Martinez asking for a move away so he could continue to show the world his talent. He ended up joining Aston Villa for a fee of £20 million.
He started perfectly as he saved a penalty during his debut in a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United. The previous season, the Villains avoided relegation on the final day but the signing of Martinez seemed to change their fortunes as they attempted to push for a European spot before the injury of Jack Grealish.
Martinez kept 15 clean sheets in the league in his first season, equalling Brad Friedel’s record for Villa. He played all 38 league games for the first time and his clean sheet tally was the third-best in the league, only behind Ederson and Edouard Mendy. What made this even more impressive was that he also ranked third for saves made, whereas the City and Blues keeper finished 18th and 20th on the list respectively.
These performances over the past season led to Martinez being named Aston Villa’s Player of the Season and he earned his first national team call-up.
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]]>The 2021 edition of the Copa America came to an end this weekend as Argentina beat Brazil to lift the trophy.
A brilliant dinked finish from Angel di Maria denied the Brazilians from retaining the title they won in 2019 and ended an entertaining tournament in style.
Here are some of the best moments and individual achievements from past the month of action.
Player of the tournament – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Although many would have predicted the 34-year-old to get this prize, Messi never fails to amaze fans with his ability. He finished as the tournament’s top goal scorer (4) and top assist provider (5) on his way to lifting his first trophy for his country.
The Barcelona winger broke six Copa America records during this tournament including most assists provided in a single tournament and most man of the match awards in a single tournament (4). He also tied Sergio Livingstone’s record of most Copa America games played, making 34 appearances in the competition’s history.
His performances have put him in a strong position to win this year’s Ballon d’Or after a very impressive first half of the year.
Young player of the tournament – Luis Diaz (Colombia)
His performance against Argentina was vital in taking the game to penalties as not only did he score the equaliser but his dribbling and ball retention frustrated the opponents in a Neymar-like display.
His competition ended on a high as his brace against Peru, which included a 94th-minute winner, secured a third-place finish for Colombia in the tournament, their joint-best finish since winning the title in 2001. His two goals in this game put him level on goal with top-scorer Messi.
Game of the tournament- Peru vs Paraguay
Gustavo Gomez opened the scoring for Paraguay before scoring an own goal to tie up the game. His game was then over before half-time as he picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, capping off a thrilling first half. The second 45 had three goals, including a 90th-minute equaliser, and another red card.
The shootout was won 4-3 by Peru as five of the spot-kicks were missed or saved before St. Etienne defender Miguel Trauco scored the winning penalty.
Goal of the tournament – Lucas Paqueta (Brazil)
There were a lot of contenders for the goal of the tournament such as the previously mentioned bicycle kick by Luis Diaz and Messi’s freekick against Chile.
Lucas Paqueta’s goal against Peru might have been a simple finish but the skill from Neymar to create the chance was nothing short of remarkable.
Throughout the game, both Ligue 1 stars were combining well with flair, which proved difficult to stop and easy to watch. Neymar’s close control and dribbling ability was on show as he retained the ball despite being marked by three players before nutmegging the Peruvian defender and finding Paqueta wide open in the box. It was Brazilian flair in full flow.
Best moments
There were two great moments for fans to watch after the final whistle blew at the Maracana and Albiceleste secured the title.
The first was the reaction from the Argentine player when the whistle blew as they all made their way to an emotional Messi. It was the first time their captain won a trophy for his country and it was clear they knew how important it was for him as they all sprinted towards him.
In contrast, Neymar was heartbroken at full-time. He was not in the squad when Brazil won the competition in 2019 and this was his opportunity to win it on home soil. Messi and Neymar embraced in a long hug during celebrations the pair exchanged words, with the former knowing all too well how the Brazilian felt.
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]]>Argentina will look to end their 28-year trophy drought as they face reigning Copa America champions Brazil in the final this weekend.
This meeting will be the 50th time the two heavyweights of South America play one another in a competitive setting and their records are almost identical. Argentina have won 19 of the 49 games compared to Brazil’s 18 and have scored one more goal in the process.
The last competitive matchup was during the 2019 Copa America semi-final where Brazil beat La Albiceleste 2-0 on their way to winning the tournament for the ninth time.
Route to the final
Both sides remain unbeaten in the competition winning five of their six games so far.
Brazil began the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Venezuela on the opening night before following it up with their biggest win in the tournament after beating Peru 4-0, who they also beat in the semi-finals.
Their win over Colombia provided a huge mental boost for them as they came from behind for the first time and won the game in the tenth minute of additional time thanks to a goal from Casemiro.
Seleção have the best attacking and defensive record in this tournament scoring 12 goals and only conceding two.
After drawing their opening fixture to Chile, Argentina bounced back with 1-0 victories over Uruguay and Paraguay before a resounding 4-1 win over Bolivia.
They then overcame Colombia on penalties in the semi-finals. Emiliano Martinez made three saves in the shootout to get his country into the finals for the third time in the last four attempts in the competition.
Messi vs Neymar
There is always pressure on Lionel Messi and Neymar to turn up for their national teams but after disappointing seasons for Barcelona and PSG respectively (in terms of silverware), there was added demand from the fans.
Messi is the top scorer in the tournament with four goals and has also provided the most assists, helping his teammates to five goals so far. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has also created the most chances, taken the most shots, and completed the most take-ons in the competition.
Neymar comes second in rankings of the previously mentioned statistics including direct goal contributions. His skill and flair however have left fans in awe once again as his trickery continues to cause issues for defenders and has led to him being the most fouled player in the tournament.
This was highlighted during Lucas Paqueta’s winner against Peru as Neymar’s close control and nutmegging ability helped provide the assist for the goal.
After Brazil’s semi-final win, Neymar stated he wanted to face his former teammate in the final.
? #Neymar fue directo: Quiere a #Argentina en la final de #CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/JQar0eQkKs
— Tigo Sports Costa Rica (@tigosports_cr) July 6, 2021
Argentinian heartbreak
In the 2015 and 2016 editions of the tournament, Argentina suffered defeat in the finals in cruel fashion as they lost on penalties at the hands of Chile on both occasions.
In the 2015 final, the game finished 0-0 after extra time and Chile won the shootout after Alexis Sanchez finished with a Panenka-style penalty. It was a similar affair the following year as no goals were scored in the 120 minutes of action before Chile won the shootout, in which Messi missed his spot-kick.
This meant Argentina had lost three major finals in three years starting with the loss to Germany in extra time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This led to Messi briefly retiring from international football as the disappointment was too much for him.
The final will take place during the early hours of Sunday morning at 1 am at the iconic Maracana Stadium.
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Five Everton players are away on international duty as the rest of the squad prepare to start pre-season next week.
Jordan Pickford (England), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (England) and Lucas Digne (France) have made the last 16 of the delayed Euro 2020. Whilst Richarlison (Brazil) and Yerry Mina (Colombia) have qualified for the quarter-finals of Copa America.
The club’s non-international players are expected to return to training on July 5th with the Toffees still managerless following Carlo Ancelotti’s sudden departure four weeks ago.
Pickford aiming to bring football home
The shot-stopper has played an important part in helping England progress to the last 16 of Euro 2020 after finishing top of Group D.
The Three Lions now face rivals Germany at Wembley on Tuesday as Gareth Southgate hopes to avoid a second straight Euro’s last 16 departure.
In their latest win, Pickford became the first England goalkeeper since Gordon Banks (1966) to keep three clean sheets in the group stages of a major tournament, and the 27-year-old will be hoping to continue his impressive form between the sticks.
Pickford has not conceded in his last 450 minutes of international football, and the number one will be hoping to share tournament success with Calvert-Lewin who is also in the England squad.
The striker has only made one appearance in the tournament so far, which was a rather short two-minute cameo in England’s opening match win against Croatia.
If called upon, Calvert-Lewin will be hoping to emulate his goal scoring form for Everton which saw the number nine score 21 goals in all competitions.
Ben Godfrey made his senior debut in England’s pre-Euro’s friendlies, however, the centre-back wasn’t included in the final 26-man squad.
Injury ends Digne’s tournament
After picking up a muscle injury in France’s 2-2 draw with Portugal last week, Digne looks set to be out for the rest of the European Championships.
The left-back was introduced at half-time, but he was forced off just a couple of minutes after the restart with what Didier Deschamps described as a complicated injury.
Digne played the full 90 minutes in his side’s 1-1 draw with Hungary in matchday two, but it looks certain he won’t play any more minutes.
After topping Group F, France will take on Switzerland in Bucharest on Monday as they aim to win a second successive major tournament.
Richarlison’s Copa America defence
In South America, Richarlison has been enjoying a successful start to Brazil’s Copa America defence.
Brazil have confirmed their place in the quarter-finals with a game remaining after wins against Venezuela, Peru and Colombia saw them top Group B.
Richarlison has started two of their three games, and against Peru, he came off the bench to score and assist in a 4-0 win.
The forward also started two of Brazil’s World Cup qualification matches prior to the tournament, in which he opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Ecuador.
Mina hoping to re-write history with Colombia
Similarly to Richarlison, Mina’s Colombia have also qualified for the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The centre-back has played every minute in the tournament so far, and he is hoping to re-write history by winning what would be Colombia’s first Copa America in 10 years.
Their tournament started off with a victory but since then Colombia has drawn once and lost twice- one of those a 2-1 defeat to Peru in which Mina was unfortunate to score an own goal.
However, Everton’s No.13 was on target at the right end in Colombia’s 3-0 win over Peru in the World Cup Qualifiers ahead of the Copa America.
Mina’s Everton and Colombia teammate, James Rodriguez was ruled out of the tournament by his national team doctors who declared he had failed to overcome a calf problem.
The playmaker, who only featured once in Everton’s last six games, is rumoured to be leaving the club this summer after one season at Goodison Park.
Rodriguez recorded 15 goal contributions in all competitions this season, but following the exit of Ancelotti, it appears the Colombian’s agent, Jorge Mendes, wants his star to do the same.
Pre-season plans:
Everton’s non-international players have one final week off before they are expected to return for pre-season.
The international players will be given some extra time off before they join the rest of the squad for the Florida Cup which starts on July 25th.
Everton’s only other scheduled friendly is against Manchester United at Old Trafford the week before the season starts.
The Toffees start their Premier League campaign off at home to Southampton on August 14th.
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]]>Brazil struggled to create any clear cut chances in the early minutes but took the lead on 15 when the impressive Gabriel Jesus got down the wing and sent a delicious cross to the back post where Everton Soares was waiting to slot the ball home.
Peru came with a game plan and that was to soak up pressure and hit Brazil on the counter, but their failure to keep possession in the attacking half meant the likes of Dani Alves and Alex Sandro were barely troubled, allowing them both to bomb forward and cause Peru problems.
But Thiago Silva gave away a penalty just before half time when the ball struck his arm. The PSG defender attempted to block a pull back but was unfortunate as the ball struck his trailing hand. The referee double checked the decision with VAR, but maintained his stance of a penalty and consequently an equaliser after Paolo Guerrero finished from the spot.
It took very little time for Brazil to regain the lead, Gabriel Jesus finding himself in acres of space in the box to slot low into the net deep into injury time, giving Brazil the lead as the half time whistle blew.
Gabriel Jesus then saw red as he picked up his second yellow card of the game, despite his clear frustrations with the decision.
Peru tried to use their numerical advantage to equalise and came close on several occasions but failed to truly test Liverpool stopper Alisson Becker. Brazil were then awarded a penalty of their own with minutes to go which Everton forward Richarlison calmly put away in the corner.
Brazil came away with their ninth Copa America after proving too strong for the rest of the competition since the start, even without the talismanic Neymar.
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The four-time Ballon d’Or winner took a period of leave from the national side after they crashed out of the World Cup, losing to eventual champions France in the round of 16.
With the Copa America fast approaching it is unknown whether the 31-year-old will return to international duty; however, interim coach Scaloni told reporters at Thursday’s draw for this summer’s competition that the Barcelona forward may return.
“We will speak with Leo in the days before the March list. When the time is right we will speak.
“I hope he can be here but more than that, we want him to be happy. I have a good feeling.”
Messi has won the U20 World Cup and has an Olympic gold medal to his name; however, he is still to win a senior honour with his country despite representing his nation at four World Cups and four Copa Americas.
Of Messi’s four major tournament appearances, the Argentinian all-time top-scorer has been a beaten finalist on four occasions and as a result has been left to ponder his future with the national team.
Argentina’s major trophy drought stretched back to 1993 when they last won the Copa America, but they were drawn in Group B against Colombia, Paraguay and invited side Qatar for the upcoming competition.
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The competition hosts were drawn against Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia in the 2019 Copa America, a competition they have not won since 2007.
Argentina, who last won a tournament in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, have not won a major title since their 1993 Copa America triumph but were placed with Colombia, Paraguay and invited team Qatar.
Uruguay will face Ecuador and reigning champions Chile, along with the other invited team Japan.
Brazil will kick-off the competition against Bolivia in Sao Paulo on June 14, the final is at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium on July 7.
Having been handed a kinder draw than other teams, Brazil coach Tite exclaimed that there is still opportunities for the hosts to slip-up.
“People have questioned me about the draw and some said, it’s easy, others said, be careful.
“Our responsibility is to perform at the highest level, to play with joy and to be proud of representing Brazil.
“We need to play really well, and that’s how you become champions.”
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On this week’s edition of Radio MLS Sean Maslin (D.C. United beat writer for Prost Amerika, MLS feature writer for BackPage Football) and Matt Hoffman (Portland Timbers beat writer for Prost) talk about the possible courtship of Jurgen Klinsmann by the English FA, the end of the Copa America, the U.S. Open Cup, and Tim Howard’s return to MLS and what it might mean for the Colorado Rapids.
Have a question for the show? You can send them either to Radiomlsprost@gmail.com, @SeanMaslin, or @Mhoff on Twitter.
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