Aston Villa keeping hold of Jhon Duran has been a transfer masterstroke, with the striker delivering on Xherdan Shaqiri's prediction from their time together at Chicago Fire.
The 20-year-old etched his name into Villa history with a crafty lob over Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to claim a monumental 1-0 win in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Colombian's knack for netting crucial goals as a substitute is undeniable, having steered Unai Emery's side to four wins from the bench already this season.
A night 42 years in the making, Villa's meeting with Bayern was the first time that the two clubs had met since the Villans' European Cup triumph in 1982. While there were heroic performances from the likes of Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Jaden Philogene, the game was ultimately decided by Villa's number nine.
It's been a whirlwind ascent for Duran, who was relatively unknown when he signed from Chicago Fire for £14.75 million in January 2023; a sizeable fee after just one MLS season. Yet, ex-Liverpool and Bayern winger Shaqiri, who's rubbed shoulders with illustrious forwards like Mohammed Salah and Thomas Muller, saw Duran's potential when they were teammates at the Fire.
Speaking to The Athletic in November 2022, Shaqiri vouched for his raw talent: "Still so young and needs to learn a lot of things but a very good player," he said. "He has the qualities to one day play at a good club in Europe. When? He needs playing time.
"That's important for a young player to get better. If you go to Europe and don't play so much, it can be difficult. We know in Europe it's another level. There are issues you have to deal with. He's a talent. I hope one day he'll make that step and show himself in Europe."
Earlier that year, after Duran netted a double against Toronto, two-time Champions League winner Shaqiri shared some pearls of wisdom: "He needs to stay also consistent now and try to stay on his toes and to learn from these games, too, what was not so good," he said. "This is important for him, too, to work hard in training and in the games, then, to deliver."
Chicago Fire boss Ezra Hendrickson also had high hopes for Duran, stating: "He is a player that, once he gets it all together, he can be a really, really special player. He has all the tools."
Shaqiri's early hunch is proving spot-on, with Duran now leaving his footprint on both the Premier League and Europe's biggest stage, though he seemed poised to leave this summer. Villa later confessed that an astonishing 40 clubs had shown interest in the forward and his goal against Bayern Munich underscored why he's considered an extraordinary prospect.
Starting his journey at Envigado, Duran was thrust into the limelight, making his debut as a fresh-faced 15-year-old. Fast forward to 2021 and Chicago Fire made waves by making him the youngest-ever signing from abroad in MLS history, though he spent another year in his homeland before moving to the US. Duran scored eight times in the league, notching a goal contribution every 105 minutes, and earned his Colombia debut at 18, coming on for Radamel Falcao.
Emery has been moulding Duran's talents and plans to keep playing the long game with Villa's number nine, with Ollie Watkins ahead of him. Following Duran's stunner against Bayern, Emery said, "He arrived here two years ago and he is young, his potential is huge.
"Sometimes he has been impatient and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person. As well as a player to try to let him play, putting him on the field because his talent is there and the capacity to help us."