Super sub inspiring Real’s glory charge
Teen sensation Camavinga stepped up for his family after they lost everything in house fire
When the young eduardo Camavinga was in school one day, looked out of the window and saw fire engines hurtling past, he thought little of it.
It was only later that one of his teachers approached him and his younger sister to break the devastating news. It was their house in Lecousse, near Rennes, to which those emergency vehicles were racing. It had been built by eduardo’s parents and the Camavingas had lived in it for less than a year.
The siblings were collected from school by their dad and taken to see the damage. The family lost nearly everything, including their identity documents.
The mayor helped relocate them and Camavinga’s club, Drapeau Fougeres, organised donations of clothes and furniture. But it was to the family’s promising 10-year-old footballer — invited to a summer tournament by Rennes on the day of the fire — that attention soon turned.
‘eduardo, you are the hope of the family, it is you who will raise it up,’ he was told by his father Celestino.
Camavinga, whose Real madrid face Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday, recalls laughing it off at the time but he grasped the seriousness of his father’s words as he grew older and his mother Sofia reminded him of them. he promised to carry the burden by using his talent to help his hard-working family.
Camavinga is now one of europe’s best young talents and has his parents, three sisters and two brothers all living with him in their new family home in Spain.
The 19-year-old midfielder has delivered all that was asked of him and some. Camavinga, showing maturity well beyond his years, relishes responsibility and is unfazed under pressure.
anyone who has followed his career since he became Rennes’ youngest ever player, aged 16 and six months, and has seen his contribution to madrid’s thrilling run to the final in Paris will recognise those traits.
Those qualities, combined with his passing ability, composure, energy and tenacity, have seen Camavinga emerge as one of madrid’s game-changers in this season’s competition. Liverpool are long-standing admirers of him, so may not be surprised.
When madrid have been staring defeat in the face it is Camavinga and Brazilian winger Rodrygo who Carlo ancelotti has called on to bail them out.
The knockout stage second legs against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and manchester City have all turned back in Real’s favour following Camavinga’s introduction off the bench.
his impact makes you wonder why he has not played more often since his £34million move from Rennes last summer, starting just 15 of his 39 appearances this season. The old guard in midfield of Toni Kroos (32), Casemiro (30) and Luka modric (36) may just be looking over their shoulders ahead of Saturday’s match.
In the opportunities he has received, though, Camavinga has already displayed enough to leave those who missed out on him last summer with regret.
manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain showed interest in the Congo-born France international but while they deliberated madrid put their money down.
although there is a desire to play more, Camavinga is happy at madrid, and his younger brother Celio, six, is set to join the club’s academy for next season.
he is not the type to feel the pressure of playing for the world’s biggest club and every opportunity is viewed instead as simply a chance to show how he is improving and why madrid bought him.
he understands he still has things to learn and considers the education he gets watching modric, Kroos and Casemiro from the bench is as valuable as playing regularly at Rennes would be. he is relaxed knowing that he is madrid’s future.
Karim Benzema, madrid’s captain and talisman, has been like a big brother to Camavinga since his arrival. Benzema wants to help Camavinga avoid repeating the mistakes he made when arriving at the Bernabeu in 2009 and ensure he makes the most of the chance he has earned.
Knowing as well as anyone how the world of Real madrid operates, Benzema has been stressing to Camavinga the importance of not being shy and speaking up if he needs an answer to something he doesn’t know, staying calm if he is not playing and blocking out external distractions.
ancelotti’s main advice has been about avoiding early yellow cards as his all-action style leaves him at risk.
not much fazes Camavinga, though he has joked with friends about being caught out by the fact that winning rarely generates much fanfare at madrid, such are their high standards.
having come from Rennes where every victory was wellcelebrated, whether that is in the dressing room, with a post-match party or restaurant get-together, some adjustment has been required.
madrid’s Spanish Super Cup victory in Saudi arabia in January for example, was marked with little more than a pat on the back and ‘see you tomorrow’, much to Camavinga’s surprise.
The Champions League is different though, as Camavinga hopes to discover. There will definitely be a party if madrid win it for a 14th time.
and if they triumph once again, Camavinga will have more than played his part.
but a way of living too that was based on the values he had been taught by his family. We always say it is very important that the players have those values for us.
‘They can then build on that and make sure they forge a winning mentality, too. We are forming young men, not just footballers. In that sense, he fits perfectly with the philosophy of our institution. He was able to take on board all that we taught him and the playing ideas the coaches have here.
‘Lucho finds it easy to adapt to the needs of the team. Aside from his incredible individual talent, he was able to strike up a good relationship with his team-mates and it explains why he has been able to adapt so quickly to Liverpool. It’s part of his personality — to get on with the players around him.’
This observation chimes with everything that people at Liverpool say about him. Diaz doesn’t speak English yet but, somehow, he has formed a close bond with Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones.
One thing they have noticed most about Diaz on Merseyside is the fact he comes into work each morning with a permanent smile and a desire to work relentlessly. When this is explained to Polo, there is a telling nod of the head.
‘It’s got a lot to do with the attitude he has to life,’ says Polo. ‘We all have our way of dealing with things and he had a tough upbringing. There were certain things he went without but he has always used those experiences in a positive way. It’s why he has not allowed success to change him.
‘He is still the same person. What he went through has helped him appreciate what he has now. He has come through adversity. There will be other difficulties to come, but his attitude helps him.’
The talk of adversity relates to Diaz coming from the Wayuu community of indigenous people in northern Colombia where cases of extreme poverty are common. He was malnourished as a child and when he arrived at Barranquilla (below) to the extent that he was put on a special diet. He grew up with very little but a fire raged inside to maximise the chances that came his way.
‘His talent is clear for everyone to see,’ Polo adds. ‘You have to take into account his genetics, his biology. The fact that he’s a natural athlete… then, on top of that, all the values taught to him by his family and then all that he learned at this institution.’
To be at this facility is to understand the sense of pride that one man can bring. In Liverpool, they look at Diaz, who arrived in January for an initial £37.5million from Porto, as a present because his signing was so swift and unexpected.
But in Barranquilla, they regard him as an icon and inspiration. Mention him to any of the youth players and there is an instant smile, thumbs up or they will sing his name — they hope he will one day be regarded as his country’s greatest player.
Time will tell but his legacy in these parts is already secured. Barranquilla, who play in Primera B, are the feeder club for the city’s leading team Atletico Junior and Diaz was elevated to the senior ranks within two seasons.
For a sense of how highly regarded he is, consider this: in the president’s suite at the stadium where Junior — and the Colombian national team — play their home games, there are three signed, framed shirts. One is from the pop star Shakira, another Lionel Messi — the last belongs to Diaz.
‘He went from the Under 21s of Barranquilla to the first team and he immediately became an important player,’ says Reyes. ‘When he went to Junior from Barranquilla he never needed to adapt. He arrived and started playing straight away.
‘At Porto it was the same. He always starts well because he doesn’t need to adapt as his football is all about the joy of playing.
‘We think that players have a better chance of adapting to England if they arrive at the start of the season because they have pre-season. But Luis doesn’t need that period of adaptation, he’s never needed a period of adaptation. What he does at Liverpool and what he did at Porto, he did with the Under 21s in Primera B here. It’s what he is. The essence of his football has not changed. He’s authentic.’
He is also special. There have been six goals in 25 games so far at Liverpool for Diaz, but the sense is that the last four months have simply been a ‘getting to know you’ exercise. Jurgen Klopp has not tried to overload him with information about how his team defends and presses, he has been allowed to adapt in a natural way.
It is next season that Liverpool believe there will be genuine fireworks and Reyes, a man who is evidently a tough taskmaster, smiles at the possibility but then suddenly starts slapping his left leg and wagging his finger in that universal gesture that shows improvement is required.
‘There is no limit to how far Lucho can go,’ he says. ‘He can still get better in certain things. When he plays out on the left and he is right on the chalk line, he has to improve his crossing with his left foot, he has to improve his finishing. He can still get better at those things, always!
‘I have not spoken to him since he went to Liverpool because he changed his number and I want to leave him alone because I know that a lot of people call him. He needs to relax and focus on his football and continue being himself. But he can get better.’
Reyes will be watching on Saturday, when Diaz could become the first Colombian to start a Champions League final. Jesus — who is now under Reyes’s guidance — will be in Paris, too, to see his big brother along with his mother, father and 12 other family members.
This, potentially, could be the most spectacular development in a remarkable individual story but whatever happens against Real Madrid, you sense that a footballer has emerged who will dominate conversations for many years to come. In Barranquilla, they will be watching and bursting with pride. ‘It’s going to be crazy,’ says Fernel Diaz, who provides the last words. ‘We can’t wait. Everywhere here that you can see the final, will be full. And everyone in Barranquilla will support Liverpool. There are a lot of Madrid fans in Colombia but I think everyone will be for Liverpool because of Luis.
‘The fact that he came from here is an inspiration to all the kids coming through. They all want to be Luis Diaz.’