Luis Diaz has admitted just how star-struck he was when he met Argentina captain Lionel Messi for the first time.

Diaz reveals love for MessiRecalls first time they metHas signed shirt from Argentine

WHAT HAPPENED? Liverpool’s star forward revealed his admiration for Messi in an interview with a magazine back in his native Colombia and had a brilliant story to tell about the first time he crossed paths with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner while on international duty.

WHAT HE SAID: “I almost died, I almost said ‘I love you’ and everything, haha!” Diaz told SoHo Magazine on his first encounter with Messi: “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 Colombian 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.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Diaz further explained how he already has one of Messi’s shirts: “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 it ‘with affection for Luis’. My life is already sorted with that shirt!” It’s clear to see just how much he idolises the Paris Saint-Germain forward.

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WHAT NEXT FOR DIAZ? With Colombia not at the 2022 World Cup, Diaz faces a quiet month of training and rebuilding fitness ahead of Liverpool’s return to action in December.