The newest weird incident in Jhon Duran’s madcap profession befell simply minutes into his Zenit St Petersburg debut.
The Russian membership had been enjoying a pre-season pleasant in opposition to Shanghai Port, a conflict they went on to win 6-0, with their big-name striker carrying their colors for the primary time.
However Duran risked a pink card 5 minutes into the competition when a grappling match with the centre-back turned ugly.
Duran then grabbed his opponent across the neck earlier than hauling him to the bottom in what seemed to be extra like a wrestling transfer.
Fortuitously for the ahead, he remained on the pitch and the referee opted to not make something of the incident in a pleasant recreation.
Duran remains to be simply 22 however his profession has already been a rollercoaster, with the mortgage to Zenit marking a modern odd flip.
Jhon Duran carried out a WWE-style transfer in a weird incident on his Zenit debut
It’s a puzzling fall from grace for a 22-year-old who was banging within the objectives for Aston Villa within the Champions League as just lately as final season.
In January final yr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian employers Al-Nassr accomplished a £64.5million transfer to signal the Colombian, handing him a contract value round £355,000 per week till 2030.
Chelsea and West Ham had wished Duran – Villa rejected a £57m bid from the Hammers shortly earlier than he moved to Saudi Arabia – and there was little doubt that he was one of many Premier League’s most enjoyable rising stars.
He settled properly within the Center East, scoring 12 objectives in 18 video games, however was reportedly tempted to Turkey by the promise of an much more profitable wage.
However Duran discovered it arduous to adapt in Turkey and axed his mortgage. French aspect Lille had been negotiating to carry him in however that transfer collapsed as they had been unable to fulfill his gargantuan wage calls for.
Duran solely scored 5 objectives in 21 video games for Fenerbahce and needed to accept coming off the bench as he fell down the pecking order.
Shifting to Zenit a decade in the past would have been a promising transfer. They had been common contributors within the Champions League and reached the final 16 in 2015-16, the third time that they had made the knockout rounds within the 2010s.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the nation’s golf equipment have been banned from collaborating in European competitors. The nationwide crew can be barred from collaborating in UEFA and FIFA competitions.
Duran’s newest membership in Russia is one other chapter of a wierd profession and he’s nonetheless simply 22
It’s due to this fact arduous to guage the usual of the Russian Premier League in the intervening time.
He’ll, a minimum of, be enjoying in entrance of huge crowds. Zenit’s common dwelling attendance is sort of 37,000 – comfortably mid-table by English Premier League figures.
Duran has led an itinerant profession, transferring from Envigado in his homeland to Chicago Hearth, then Villa, Al-Nassr, and latterly Fenerbahce and Zenit on mortgage – all by the age of twenty-two.
He’s a senior worldwide for Colombia, having amassed 17 caps and scored three objectives.
