At home in Colombia, Wilberth Perea takes the story of Jhon Duran back to the start.
“I first met Jhon at a Pony Futbol (a Colombian youth tournament),” says Perea, who was a coach at Envigado, the first professional club that scouted Duran at the age of 11. “He was thin, tall and with a hunger to get ahead.
“I was given authorisation to go to the school where Jhon studied to talk to his teachers — we needed to reinforce the academic side to him. His studies were supremely important, so I would go to his school a lot.
“There was one time I went to ask for a permit to give Duran permission to play and miss school. The teachers told me, ‘If you find him in the classroom, we’ll give him a permit’. I entered the school and Jhon wasn’t in the classroom.
“I was furious. I immediately went to his house because he lived close to the school. I found him sitting there listening to reggae music. That day, I almost grabbed him by the throat because I was making a sacrifice so that he could achieve that permit, but he wasn’t fulfilling his academic studies.
“We had to sit down with him to study, to explain things and to make him aware of the importance of education. It wasn’t easy. Jhon is very intelligent, but he dedicated little time to his studies. He didn’t like them much. He loved the ball more than an exercise book or a pencil.”
Duran was born in Zaragoza, a municipality of Antioquia, a humble area with a population of about 24,000 people. It is mountainous, has heavy rainfall and lacks employment opportunities. Duran’s family moved a short distance to the city of Medellin and the neighbourhood of Aranjuez, close to his school. As Duran, the young boy, became a teenager and progressed at Envigado, he lived closer to the training facility.
“He comes from a poor municipality, yes, but it was rich in gold,” says Juan Carlos Grisales, an academy coach at Envigado who met Duran aged 11. “He was a normal boy with lots of desire to work.
“When he got older, he lived here in Envigado with his grandad. His grandad brought him here to train and accompanied him. He wasn’t a rude kid, but was always very calm.”
“It was more than a poor area,” says Perea. “Jhon had to develop. It’s full of working people, fighting to get ahead day to day. The desire to be better was impressed on him. Nothing he was given was free. He had to work.”
Perea, second from left, and Duran, third from left, with present Envigado players (Wilberth Perea)
Still only 20 years old, Duran sometimes appears pregnant with self-belief. He is not always the easiest to understand at first or build a rapport with, but coaches and friends have learned to be patient.
Those who know him at Villa, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say he struggles with English, which is a reason why he keeps himself to himself. Sometimes, his more gregarious side emerges: smiling, joking and often singing to himself or anyone who will listen.
“Big Jhon… he’s a bit nuts,” said Villa captain John McGinn in May to Sky Sports after Duran came off the bench to score twice in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool. “He’s a nightmare sometimes to have in your team. But he has moments of quality.”
Duran celebrates against Liverpool (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
“Jhon was always and still is a strong character,” says Perea. “He has a dominating temperament but a competitive spirit. From a young age, Jhon was always passionate about football. He could always rely on the support of his parents, Senor Regino and Saturnina.
“Maybe for those who don’t know him, they see a person who’s full of himself, but he’s not like that. Jhon is a very humble human who’s very calm. Jhon is a very straightforward guy. You have to interact with him to know him more deeply. Maybe you get a bad impression of someone from the way they express themselves, but Jhon’s a great person.”
“All players have strengths and weaknesses, but he was never undisciplined or rude,” says Grisales. “He was a well-mannered kid.”
At Villa, Duran has frustrated supporters and his club alike.
One issue has been his social media account, which has regularly unfollowed the club, while 90 minutes before kick-off in January’s FA Cup tie with Chelsea, it posted a congratulations to fellow Colombian Mayra Ramirez on moving to the west London club, using three blue hearts. This was at a time when Chelsea were showing an interest and the Colombian was keen to move.
“For me, it is a youngster’s mistake,” said Villa manager Unai Emery when asked about Duran’s behaviour on social media. “We have been speaking a lot with him about his commitment over the whole season, about being focused, about his development, respect and everything. When he made these mistakes, we spoke to him and tried to get him to show the commitment we want to build here.”
Emery is convinced the forward can become one of the best strikers in the world, provided he practises patience in waiting for starting opportunities and develops his mentality, as Emery has consistently outlined.
“As a player and a professional, taking responsibility himself and trying to create a mentality here, he is one of the players I have to be close to in supporting,” said Villa’s manager in August.
Emery has made concerted efforts to keep a lid on Duran’s stardom. In 18 months, the Colombia international has started just two Premier League games, serving as Ollie Watkins’ understudy and incrementally increasing his minutes. This has deeply frustrated Duran who, even with Watkins’ outstanding goalscoring numbers, believes wholeheartedly he is the club’s best striker.
Duran wanted to leave this summer. His representatives, including agent Jonathan Herrera, flew over for talks in late July after Duran arrived late back for pre-season due to his involvement in Copa America. Chelsea were especially keen before the June 30 financial deadline, when Villa were under pressure to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR). AC Milan kept a watchful eye, too, but it was West Ham who were the frontrunners. It reached a point where team-mates were under the impression he would move to London.
West Ham had an offer of £32million ($42.5m) plus 18-year-old midfielder Lewis Orford rejected, but Duran remained adamant he wanted to go. He faced disciplinary action after crossing his arms to make an Irons-shaped gesture on an Instagram live, amid interest from West Ham. He spoke openly to ESPN Deportes about hoping to move to one of the “big teams”.
Duran’s talent has never been in question but, as Emery and Villa’s footballing hierarchy acknowledge, one of the main threats to Duran fulfilling his potential is whether those non-conformist inclinations become overpowering.
Duran joined Villa in January 2023 in a £14.75m deal, potentially rising by another £3m. He had scored eight goals in 22 MLS appearances for Chicago Fire, who he joined after leaving Envigado in January 2022, and Villa’s recruitment team had been tracking the striker.
A lot of the groundwork was laid before Emery’s arrival in October 2022, with Villa bordering on relentless in their push to sign him. Staff would travel back and forth from the U.S. to convince Duran that Villa would offer the most conducive environment to progress, explained through multiple presentations that mapped out his pathway. Villa co-owner Wes Edens even went to watch Duran play in Chicago.
There were two key sticking points, however. Villa were concerned by Atletico Madrid’s interest and, secondly, in order to finalise an agreement, they had to persuade Emery, who did not know who Duran was. Having watched videos presented to him by analysis staff, Emery concurred that Duran had vast potential and sanctioned the deal.
Since then, despite the several tumultuous off-field moments, Emery’s admiration has grown. Team-mates and staff have, at times, been blown away by Duran’s ability in training and what he can produce, to the extent that his thunderous winner against Everton last month was not seen as surprising.
Duran after scoring his stunning long-distance strike against Everton (Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images)
Though the actions of Duran and his camp angered Villa in the summer, they were patient. Just as Perea and Envigado did before them, Villa’s footballing staff needed to hold regular chats with Duran, keeping him onside and explaining clearly his importance. He meets regularly with president of football operations Monchi, who has children older than Duran and therefore feels he can resonate, and director of football Damian Vidagany.
Plainly, Duran wants to be loved. Most crucially, Villa recognises he remains a young man adapting to a new country and challenge. Teething issues are par for the course, particularly for someone like the forward, who grew up in a contrasting environment from the West Midlands and the bright lights of the Premier League.
Quietly, Villa believe Duran has turned a corner. His shirt number changed from No 20 to No 9 at the start of this campaign, a small but telling gesture that suggested Emery regarded him as a key player. It was outlined to Duran that while he would not yet start consistently, he would come on in games with longer left on the clock.
This season, his only full match was the 2-1 Carabao Cup victory away to Wycombe Wanderers, where he scored Villa’s second. The following day, having played 90 minutes and on a team day off, Duran did a strength session in a private gym. Relatively speaking, his salary is at the lower end of the scale and there will surely be a desire to negotiate a more lucrative package.
“If there is a club that really thinks Duran can become one of the top strikers in the world, then that one club is Aston Villa and that one manager is Unai Emery,” said Monchi. “There are no fewer than 40 clubs who want Duran — everyone wants him.”
Duran playing for Colombia (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)
Villa’s faith and, in some ways, forgiveness, have been vindicated. Duran has scored eight goals in 277 minutes this season, roughly one every 35 minutes. From Duran’s overall tally of nine Premier League goals, eight have come as a substitute, with three winning goals being scored off the bench coming this season alone; no player has scored more winners as a substitute in a single Premier League campaign.
“He can be one of the best strikers in the world,” Villa and Argentina No 1 Emiliano Martinez told the BBC. “But he needs to keep his feet on the ground and work hard.”
Duran is transforming into a high-calibre striker, powered by immense self-belief, understanding from his coaches, and Emery’s careful development.
Duran the footballer does not mirror Duran the person. On the pitch, he is powerful, physically dominant and often chaotic. Off the field, he can come across that way publicly, but those who know him suggest those traits are softer and require a deft and understanding touch, just like the boy Perea saw skipping school and listening to reggae.
Villa have given similar leeway with the greater good in mind — to develop Duran into the elite player they think he can be.
(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)
