For a player once criticised for not scoring enough, Luis Diaz is starting to make a habit of answering back in the most decisive way.
His goals this season, including a late nerve-settling strike to seal a Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid, have come at important moments.
First, on his Bayern Munich debut against Stuttgart in August (there’s nothing quite like setting the tone). Then away at PSG, twice in fact, before he was sent off for an out-of-character foul on Achraf Hakimi that earned him a three-game suspension.
Yet even that moment did little to disrupt his momentum. He returned to deliver again, with a last-gasp contribution against St Pauli, whose stubborn resistance at the Allianz Arena frustrated Bayern throughout. And, of course, he stepped up again across both legs against Real Madrid this month.
Even last week, his knack for late interventions was evident, as he struck in stoppage time of the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen, sealing the 2-0 win and sending his side into another final.
There wasn’t anyone outside Bavaria who thought Bayern had struck themselves a bargain in July, when Diaz joined from Liverpool in a €75million (£65m; $88m) deal, including add-ons.
Yet beyond the importance of his goals, their quality and quantity have also helped justify his fee.
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