Diaz Thrives at Bayern Thanks to Kimmich's Spanish Skills

Luis Diaz has found solace in his new club thanks to Joshua Kimmich's Spanish-speaking skills. The Colombian star last month made a £65.5million switch to Bayern Munich from Liverpool , ending his three-and-a-half year stint at Anfield.

The 28-year-old enjoyed impressive final season on Merseyside, netting 17 goals in all competitions, contributing significantly to Arne Slot's Premier League title-winning campaign.

However, after failing to agree on terms for a new contract , Diaz expressed his desire to leave, paving the way for his move to the German champions. This transfer made him only the third Colombian to ever don the Bayern jersey.

Despite struggling with English during his time in the UK , Diaz is now facing a new linguistic challenge in Germany. Initially, Portuguese international Joao Palhinha, who speaks Spanish, acted as his translator during training sessions.

As reported by Bild , Palhinha played a crucial role in helping Diaz settle into his new surroundings, spending much of the Colombian's first day at Bayern together. However, with Palhinha's recent move to Tottenham Hotspur, Diaz was left without a Spanish-speaking team-mate , reports the Liverpool Echo .

Kimmich, who picked up Spanish nearly a decade ago due to the influx of Spanish and South American players at Bayern, appears to be stepping into Palhinha's shoes in helping Diaz settle into his new surroundings.

The duo were seen chatting and hugging each other in the changing room. The midfielder, who joined Bayern from RB Leipzig in 2015, started learning Spanish in 2017 after his mother suggested he should improve his language skills.

In an interview with Bild, Kimmich, then 22, explained: "Why Spanish? My mother had the idea that I could learn another language. And since we have a lot of Spaniards on the team, I decided to do it."

It was indeed a smart decision as he shared the dressing room with Thiago, Javi Martinez, James Rodriguez, Rafinha, Juan Bernat and Arturo Vidal at that time.

During Diaz's last two seasons at Liverpool, he was part of a Spanish-speaking group that included Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister. He also had the opportunity to speak in his native language with former team-mates Adrian, James Milner and Stefan Bajcetic.

In his three-and-a-half year career at Liverpool, Diaz played 148 games, scored 41 goals and assisted 23 more. He captured four major honours, including the Premier League title, two EFL Cups and one FA Cup .

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.