Ben Brereton Diaz
firmly into the bottom corner. Scenes
of disbelieving celebration played out
in Stoke and Santiago alike: Chile had
a new hero.
Brereton Diaz was involved in every
game asLa Rojareached the quarter-
finals, eventually defeated by Brazil.
The tournament boosted his profile
beyond recognition, being serenaded
by supporters and featuring in quirky
adverts for Pepsi and Scotiabank. His
team-mates were taken aback by the
speed of his transformation.
“I’m not surprised that he’s doing
well but I’m surprised at how quickly
it’s turned around for him,” reflects
Bennett. “That’s what he’s earned.
He’s not been given it; he’s had to
work really hard. The beauty of football
is that these things can happen; you
can go from not playing to being an
international star on the biggest stage.“Everyone was delighted for him
because he’s not had an easy ride.
He’s a great lad and you wish people
like that nothing but the best. He’s
really funny – daft as a brush – but
that makes him really endearing.
He doesn’t take life too seriously.
“Alot’sgottobesaidforhis
strength of character. Sometimes it
was hard for him at Blackburn when
he wasn’t playing, and things were
getting questioned. It easily could
have gone the other way. He could
have accepted that he got bought for
a lot of money and it hadn’t worked
out, but he hasn’t done that. He’s
got his head down and grafted.”
It is as if his career is in fact thestory of two different players: Ben
Brereton was a doubtful, tentative striker
with little over a dozen Championship
goals in five seasons to his name;
Ben Brereton Diaz is a confident,
unstoppable scoring sensation whose
20 goals have underpinned Blackburn’s
promotion push, completely at home
alongside global superstars like Alexis
Sanchez and Arturo Vidal.
Adding Diaz to his name is not just
simply a representation of his Chilean
heritage, it is as though it has made him
a new and improved version of himself
almost overnight.
“The confidence within him has
grown that much now,” adds Bennett.
“He’s taken on the responsibility of
being the main man and scoring the
goals. That’s great credit to him and
I hope it can continue.”
Leeds and West Ham United were
heavily linked with
Brereton Diaz in
January. Rovers
were willing to
sell for the right
price: £28.5m,
according to
reports. While
nobody was willing to meet that figure
on this occasion, the Premier League
surely awaits. And Lester, his former
mentor, sees no reason for the
22-year-old to stop there.
“I used to talk to Ben about playing in
the Champions League,” he says. “That’s
where I thought he could get to. I always
thought the sky was the limit for Ben.
He’s one of the top scorers in the
Championship. He’s doing well in
international football. It’s not a
surprise – not to me anyway.
“I always felt he could go a long way
because he caused so many problems
for defenders with the way he played.
We just wanted him to believe in
himself like we did.”came to the attention of Chile, the
country where his mother was born,
thanks to a group of supporters who
noticed his eligibility on the computer
gameFootball Manager, is well told.
What started as a speculative online
campaign soon gathered irresistible
momentum.
For a player that had faced so many
doubters and critics, receiving a call-up
to play senior international football –
thanks to a fans’ campaign – took his
self-belief to another level entirely.
Brereton Diaz was included in the
squad for the 2021 Copa America,
making his debut against a Leo Messi-led
Argentina in the opening group game.
Bolivia were up next and, ten minutes
into his first start, Brereton Diaz mania
went into overdrive as he grabbed what
proved to be the winning goal.
Eduardo Vargas flicked the ball inside
to the unmarked Blackburn striker, who
showed composureto sidle pasta
covering defender and plant his shot
Historic...Chile
celebrate Brereton
Diaz’s goal v BoliviaRed-hot form...
Brereton had hit
20 Championship
goals by mid-March“The beauty of football is that these things can
happen; you can go from not playing to being
an international star on the biggest stage”
Brereton Diaz’s former Blackburn team-mate Elliott Bennett