During his childhood, money worried his family very much. He and his father, a taxi driver, had to make great efforts to keep the family from earning money.
The player who is nearly almost always smiles
Luis Muriel is nearly almost always smiles. His form on the field with Atalanta has grabbed many plaudits, but his attitude has won him many hearts. Before the first match against Real Madrid, Muriel said, “sometimes I’m not happy, but I try not to show it”. The first leg didn’t go his way. He started in Bergamo but was taken off early in a game shaped by Remo Freuler’s red card. Now, Atalanta’s chances of a comeback will most likely depend on Muriel’s form in front of the goal; nobody in an attacking Atalanta team has more firepower than him. He has scored 19 goals in 35 games this season, despite rarely playing 90 minutes. Muriel, affectionately known as Lucho in Bergamo, is a star now. Money is no longer a concern, and his journey began with goals he scored when he was 5-years-old.
The Colombian had to make a great effort to keep the family from earning money
But during his childhood, money worried his family very much. He and his father, a taxi driver, had to make great efforts to keep the family from earning money. Both father and son sold lottery tickets on Santo Tomas’s streets, which then financed Luis’ transport to school and training. The father’s salary did not even exceed seven dollars a month – about 20,000 Colombian pesos. For this reason, young Luis took to the streets to sell jewellery that his grandmother had made by hand. That inspired Muriel to make a career, and his first dream in football was to make money to buy his father a new taxi, which is exactly what he did with his first payment at Udinese. The joy he saw in his father’s face was enough for him to know that all his sacrifices were worthwhile.
Luis sent aid to Colombia to help people
Muriel never lost sight of where he came from and how people still live in his hometown, back in Colombia. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe, No.9 lived alone in Bergamo, and northern Italy was the epicentre of its explosion. His wife and daughters returned to Colombia, and he sent aid to his country when the virus arrived there. The Colombians had serious problems accessing government assistance, but Muriel, through his family, delivered around the city. His mother, Elizabeth Fruto, even drove trucks with food, medicine and other necessities. “The idea is not to create panic,” Muriel wrote on social media during the coronavirus outbreak in Colombia. “My message is to warn you not to underestimate this situation, and it can get as difficult as it did here.”
Luis Muriel is undeniably brilliant on the field, and he has another side that deserves a lot of respect. On Tuesday, he will be Atalanta’s most significant threat as they want to come back against Real Madrid.