Colombia – Los Cafeteros rocked up in Barranquilla with one man monopolising the headlines. Not James Rodriguez, the adidas Golden Boot winner from the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, or Luis Diaz, who beat Lionel Messi to the Golden Boot at the penultimate Copa America, but a striker who left Colombia for Major League Soccer having netted only nine goals in 49 appearances and was almost discarded by Aston Villa a few months ago. Jhon Duran, despite limited minutes, has taken the English Premier League by storm in 2024/25 and lobbed a luminous winner past Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the UEFA Champions League. The Bavarians reportedly want him. So, too, do Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United. Duran is hot property.
Colombians clamoured for Nestor Lorenzo to start him against Chile ahead of the under-performing John Cordoba. The shot-caller resisted the temptation, but by half-time, despite his team leading 1-0, he’d seen enough. Cordoba was hooked. Duran was sent on. The 20-year-old duly lived up to his hype. He tormented Chile with his skill, speed and slippery movement, and punished them with a clinical finish. It was his seventh goal from the bench in this infant season, and made him the third-youngest player to score for Colombia in a World Cup qualifier. “I am ready to start wherever I am,” said Duran, who is also a back-up at club level, to England forward Ollie Watkins. “Everything has its moment. I will always give my best for the national team and my club. You always hope to make an impact when you go on. I go on with that in mind, and thank God it happened here.”
Duran believes Colombia will not only qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26, but make waves in North America. “We are ready to make great things happen,” he said. “We are a hard-working and humble group. We have to keep working hard.” Encouragingly for Colombia, Duran is exactly what the doctor ordered. While outstanding midfielders such as Carlos Valderrama and Rodriguez have dazzled for them on the sport’s biggest stage, they have yearned for a striker to do the same, with injuries handicapping the great Radamel Falcao. Is Duran the answer to the issue? His cameo by the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday evening certainly suggests so.
Courtesy: https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/