There is an obvious first reaction to the news of Jhon Duran join Al Nassr de Aston Villa For $ 79.95 million. To pass from Premier league For the Saudi Pro League at the age of 21, there is a surprising turn of events. Duran’s drastic ascent as a player after less than a year in England has made him the best transfer target for some of the largest European clubs.
Widely lost in the fervor of its shock movement to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo And Sadio Mané? His brief passage with Major League Soccer‘s Chicago Fire.
In American football circles, Duran’s time in MLS and subsequent rapid as a Premier League star at Villa are considered to be a proof of concept that MLS can attract, develop and sell some of the best young players in the world. However, Duran’s swirling road to celebrity came so quickly that his stay in Chicago looks like a distant memory. Duran was signed by Chicago as a 17 -year -old phenomenon in 2021, then joined the MLS team as an initiative signing for those under 22 when he was 18 years later. This team construction mechanism, introduced in 2021, was implemented to encourage MLS clubs to acquire and develop younger players.
Duran made 27 appearances and scored eight goals in his only season in the city of Windy. For the fire and the league itself (which administers all the contracts of players), it turned out to be a huge success financially. Chicago will receive $ 8.7 million (7 million pounds sterling) from 15% selling costs for the benefit of Villa. Villa had paid in Chicago $ 18 million (more additional modules) for Duran, which makes Duran a total transfer of $ 31 million for MLS, a new record. This is a unique case, because many signatures of the League under 22 have resulted in bad deals. The Colombian side Envigado will receive nearly $ 2 million in solidarity payments.
Sebastian Pelzer was Chicago’s technical director when Duran was signed. A visit to Envigado in 2020 to seek a central back turned into an unexpected discovery of a potential signature of the Grand Slam. By coincidence, Duran entered the field as a substitute, as he did so often at Villa while binding for playing time with England Before Ollie WatkinsAnd Pelzer was immediately struck by the young person. He says Athletics This Duran ability to adapt to the Premier League did not surprise it. His sudden emergence as one of the best attackers in Europe, however, did it.
“I am surprised that it happened so quickly. This is the only thing that surprises me, ”explains Pelzer, now director of sport of the Swiss Club Lugano. “When I saw him the first time, I told the inhabitants of Chicago:” Listen, he has the potential to play in England “, because I lived it. I lived it in my time playing Blackburn. I know what it takes to be there. And you could see this child of 16 years.”
Duran went from MLS to international celebrity with astonishing speed. (Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Duran has become the Pet Project of Chicago. They helped him adapt to American culture, including the freezing temperatures of a Chicago winter. Pelzer and the sports service have planned individual training sessions for Duran to prepare it for the rapid nature of the MLS game. Duran, on occasion, did not arise. He was a typical teenager with his own illusions of immortality. Duran was not lacking in confidence and does not clearly do so. A Chicago staff member described Duran as having “delusional self -confidence” when he arrived in MLS.
“It was also difficult for Jhon to adapt to the United States, and it took a bit until it really enters the field,” explains Pelzer. “He played four months for us and impressed everyone during these four months.”
Duran was convinced – and left those around him – that he would play in Europe as soon as possible, even before he played a minute in MLS. He was transported as an experienced celebrity not affected by his own naivety. This conviction led to a particular nickname at the time of Duran in Chicago. He became known at least one staff member like “Balotelli”, after the controversial and enigmatic Italian striker.
“He is still 21 years old and people try to forget that these players are still young,” explains Pelzer. “They make mistakes, and some grow faster, others are not. As a young player, he also had a lot of people around him, and we tried to manage this well. I do not know the current management team around Jhon now, but at the time in Chicago, we tried to help him as much as possible.”
He had his incidents of indiscipline, of course. The stomp and the red card against NewcastleWhether subjective or not, was considered a bad time for Duran. Athletics‘s Simon Johnson reported that Chélat Reculed from the signature of Duran last summer due to concerns about his character. In Colombia, he was reported but did not confirm that Duran should start against Chile In a World Cup qualification match in October. According to the eminent Colombian journalist Carlos Antonio Velez, manager Nestor Lorenzo left Duran on the bench due to a form of misconduct.
Duran now has Cristiano Ronaldo as a teammate. (Abdullah Ahmed / Getty Images)
“I said it a thousand times that (Duran) will be one of the best attackers in the world in two years, but right now, the starter is (Jhon) Cordoba,” said Velez at Planeta Futbol in October. “I do not want to develop because what (Duran) must understand is that it is about to become a star and it would be good to maintain certain behaviors that do not affect his football. He should not engage in imperfections that cost so many Colombian players their career. ”
Lorenzo did not address this report after Colombia4-0 victory over Chile. Duran arrived in the 46th minute and scored the third goal of Colombia with seven minutes to do. His personality, his arrogance – or, perhaps, self -confidence – has been a crucial factor in his ability to sail so well to high -flying football at such a young age. Duran is an extrovert – bigger than life, could say. And he showed an incredible talent to deliver in the field.
Duran scored 12 goals in 29 appearances for villa this season. It is not yet n ° 9 of Colombia, however. Even if it is widely considered the best Colombian center forward in football, there is a competition with players more experienced for this role. Duran, however, gradually won his place with his national team. Money and fame are now two realities that will follow Duran for the rest of his career.
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His former youth coach in Envigado, Wilberth Perea, thinks that Duran has the potential to play for real Madrid And that having been at the center of the current transfer window is a confirmation of what Perea believed the first day he started working with his former student. “I knew that when I insisted to move it from the wing to No. 9, it was going to be one of the best in the world,” said Perea Athletics.
Perea adds that those around Duran, including officials and coaches in any club he plays in the future, must “support and kiss Jhon”. “He has matured a lot,” explains Perea. “Aston Villa provided him with an important support system, which had an impact on his performance. Whenever we talk, I can see how much he has matured and cultivated according to the socio -cultural environment to whom he was exposed. But I will repeat that it must be supported. He must have confidence. “
Perea considers Duran’s move to Al Nassr as “spectacular” due to the money set for the life he will receive. Duran received $ 5,000 per month from the fire while living in Colombia to support each other before joining the club, which would have felt an astounding sum for a teenager at the time. Now he will win about a million dollars a month. Tax free.
Unai Emery juggled Ollie Watkins and Duran as a Star Strikers. (Shaun Botterill / Getty images)
Duran will grow as a player, says Perea, due to the opportunity to learn high -level professionals like Liverpool Star Mané and Ronaldo, “but he will live things (in Saudi Arabia) that will contribute to his current growth as a player.” Perea adds, however, that he would have liked to see Duran in a European elite club a year before the next World Cup.
Former Villa Unai Emery coach agrees. He was considering a long -term future for him at the club, but the offer was too good to refuse.
“You know my opinion on him,” says Emery. “A fantastic player. A fantastic potential player. I was still trying to recover it with my advice. I was so close to him, trying to work with him for his development. But the player has his own goal, his own ambition.”
The trip from Duran de Environnement to MLS and the Premier League to Saudi Arabia will lead to discussions on players’ development and players in the world. In the case of Duran, we will soon discover if the precipitate falls from Champions League The football of a development league will turn off a promising career or if raw talent is enough to maintain personal success.
(Top Photo: Michael Steele / Getty Images)
