This article chronicles the astonishing journey of Jhon Duran, a young Colombian footballer who has rapidly ascended from humble beginnings in Envigado to the glittering world of the Premier League and now, a Saudi Arabian adventure with Al-Nassr. Featuring insights from coaches and scouts who witnessed his talent bloom, the piece explores Duran's dedication, raw potential, and the unwavering support of his family.
It was an unexpected turn on a rapid trajectory that has taken him from Colombia to Major League Soccer ( MLS ) to the Premier League and now to Saudi in just six years. Duran had been one of the young stars of this season, with 12 goals in 29 games for Villa including a stunning 25-yard Champions League winner against Bayern Munich, and a new long-term contract signed in October.
He struggled to dislodge England international Ollie Watkins as Unai Emery's preferred frontman and was in the starting XI just once as Villa navigated their Champions League group to reach the last 16, and four times in the Premier League. Now, just over two years since his £18m move from Chicago Fire to Villa Park, the Colombia international will link up with a forward line at Al-Nassr that includes five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane. 'We told him, today he is here in El Dorado fields, tomorrow he could be stepping into the best stadiums in the world and facing the best players in the world,' youth coach Wilberth Perea Mena, who first met Duran as a 14-year-old at his first club Envigado, told BBC Sport.Chicago Fire technical director Sebastian Pelzer found Duran, almost by accident, while scouting a team-mate - and said he instantly recognised that he could become a Premier League star.Wilberth Perea MenaJhon Duran (left) and Yaser Asprilla (right) - pictured with Envigado's Wilberth Perea Mena - came through at the club together. Asprilla also made his Champions League debut this season after joining Girona from WatfordTheir slogan is 'Cantera de Heroes'. Cantera translates as quarry but in a football sense is used to describe academies. Since being formed in 1989 they have yet to win a major trophy - but have produced several Colombia internationals and Champions League players such as James Rodriguez, Juan Fernando Quintero, Mateus Uribe, Fredy Guarin and Yaser Asprilla. In 2024 the CIES Football Observatory said Envigado were second only to Athletic Bilbao in the world for giving the most opportunities to youth players. So the ideal club for Jhon Jader Duran - as he is known in his homeland - to join at the age of 11. It was a tough start though as he left his family's home in a barrio in Colombia's second-largest city Medellin to pursue that dream.'Fortunately, he managed to have the nucleus of his family close to him,' said Perea, 'a very humble, hard-working, honest family. Very good people.'Many times it is not what is reflected on the playing field. Jhon is a noble, calm person and you have to get to know him a little more inside.' Perea was the coach who decided to change Duran from a winger to a striker and used to show him videos of top strikers - including Villa and Colombia icon Juan Pablo Angel. 'Jhon was sometimes difficult. At times it was somewhat complicated, but I knew how to manage it,' said Perea.'That was an important detail because one understands his childhood has not been easy, it was not easy at all.' Perea tells a story of going to Duran's school to get permission for him to play in a national tournament. 'The principal told me 'if you find him in the classroom, I'll give you permission!' So I entered the classroom and Jhon Jader was missing class.'I left that school furious to look for him at his home. I almost grabbed him by the ears.' Duran broke into the Envigado first team at the age of 15 - and became the second youngest player to score a Colombian top-flight goal not long after. Perea said: 'I knew he was going to be a great player because he believed in his convictions, and he knew he could do great things. 'He managed to direct his talent because we knew that he could give much more. The truth is that it fills me with a lot of happiness because he has achieved great things.Months later Duran caught the eye of a former Blackburn player and his upwards trajectory was about to continue.Jhon Duran scored an MLS goal every 170 minutes for Chicago Fire - with almost half his appearances coming from the bench Pelzer was a German defender who played for several teams in his homeland - plus 18 months at Blackburn. Sadly his time at Ewood Park was blighted by injuries and he managed just one League Cup game against Walsall in 2002. In December 2019, four years after retiring from playing, Pelzer got his first job with a club - technical director of MLS side Chicago Fire.'I was watching our main target Carlos Teran at the time,' he told BBC Sport. 'Jhon got subbed in later on and you could already see how good he was. 'He was a raw talent but you could see his speed and acceleration. In the air he was a handful for the defenders already. 'From my experience in England I knew he had already something for England. That was something where you could have the fantasy he could make it. It was a wow effec
Jhon Duran Al-Nassr Cristiano Ronaldo Premier League Colombia MLS Envigado Football Academy Player Development
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