This article is part of the Guardian's World Cup 2014 Experts' Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.
Newspapers in Spain called him 'Chile's Xavi' after watching him command Basel's midfield during last season's Champions League campaign. His vision, his ability to provide assists, and his impressive energy made him worthy of that high praise. For Chile he is a key player, given the features just described and because he is the one who best understands what Jorge Sampaoli, the manager, expects in every game. However, Marcelo Díaz had to overcome a lot of difficulties to become the player he is today.
Even though Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez are the most famous of Chile's midfielders, Díaz is the most important player for Sampaoli. He is the 'manager on the field', as Chilean media has called him. But this is today; long ago, when he started his career, nobody thought he would succeed.
He was 17 years old when he was promoted to the professional team of Universidad de Chile, one of the biggest clubs in the country. He sat on the bench three times that season and played just few minutes on the pitch, and at right-back.
Six years went by and nothing had really changed. He was never considered by several managers and was often required to play out of position. He even thought about retiring and forgetting about his dream of becoming a Universidad idol, just as Marcelo Salas, his favourite player, had been.
The future looked fairly bleak until he accepted an offer to go on loan to Deportes La Serena, a small club from the north of the country with no loftier ambitions than staying in the first division. It was a good place to start over; there were no big pressures and the manager was willing to use him as central midfielder.
Even though leaving Universidad was a hard decision to make – Marcelo had always been a big fan of his hometown Santiago club - it was the right one.
He started playing in central midfield, becoming the brain of the team. His tactical intelligence and the vision to organize and lead attacks attracted the attention of Sampaoli, who ironically had just had arrived as Universidad de Chile's new manager. It was time for a rematch; Díaz came back to the team he loved since he was a child, and this time he succeeded and fulfilled his dream of becoming an important figure in the club he had always loved.
Universidad won both domestic tournaments in the 2011 season, and Díaz was dominant in midfield. That same year he also had a superb performance in the Copa Sudamericana – South America's equivalent of the Europa League – which was also won by Universidad. It was the first time that a Chilean club had won that competition, and they did it in style.
The praises for Díaz came from everywhere, and offers from bigger South American clubs appeared. However, his future was in Europe; Basel finally recruited him. In Switzerland he has won two league titles, and has become the key player in Basel's midfield.
Meanwhile he has also become a decisive player for Chile. Since Sampaoli became Chile's manager, he has always counted on Díaz to bring on to the field what he tells them on the training ground.
The most outstanding feature of his game is that he is a very complete player both defending and attacking. He constantly goes to defensive positions to help his team-mates and is always ready to cover the defenders that go on the attack. He is the one in charge of leaving no spaces for the opposition to take advantage of on the counter-attack. Going forward, he rarely loses possession, and lately has improved his shooting ability both from open play and also from set pieces.
It wasn't easy, but Marcelo Díaz made it and he will now play in his first World Cup finals in Brazil at the age of 27. Maybe he will not be Chile's most well-known player or the one most cheered by the crowd. Nonetheless, he is the team's engine, the one who controls the tempo of the game and is always there to help the stars like Vidal or Sánchez shine. It is not risky to say that many of Chile's hopes for this World Cup rely on the shoulders of Díaz.
This article was written by editorial team at Chilean television station TVN
