On the "Charla" podcast, Fred was asked who was the craziest teammate he had ever played with. He barely hesitated before naming Duran. Fred said the Colombian striker, whom he played with at Fenerbahçe, "didn't care about anything."

Fred also shared several anecdotes about the Colombian to back up his point. Once he invited Duran to go to the Turkish giant's training facility for extra training. "Let's go train, do some running there," he suggested. Duran's immediate response made him drop the idea. "He said: 'Brother, I'm already rich, I don't need to run.' Then he went to the medical room and just sat there doing nothing."

Such an attitude certainly raises questions for a professional player, especially considering he should have been at peak fitness. However, Duran's career path has always been questionable. In fact, his start in Europe was quite impressive. In early 2023, he joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire for approximately €30 million, quickly making an impact with his scoring prowess. Bayern Munich also took notice—in October 2024, Villa beat Bayern, then managed by Kompany, in what was Kompany's first official defeat as Bayern manager.

Duran scored the winning goal in the final minutes, catching Neuer off guard with a clever chip. After that, he was keen to move clubs. "Bayern is my dream club" and "one of the clubs I want to play for," Duran said at the time. Former captain Damian Martinez enthusiastically declared: "He could become one of the best strikers in the world." But it's well known he never moved to Munich. Instead, he embarked on a nomadic journey. However, it wasn't about finding the best balance between environment and results. It seemed he was more interested in padding his own wallet.

After scoring 20 goals in two years in England and despite reported interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, Duran joined Al-Nassr in the summer of 2025 for €77 million, becoming the second-most expensive signing in Saudi Arabian football history at the time. Cristiano Ronaldo's club offered him a lucrative long-term contract until 2030 with a reported annual salary of €20 million. Just six months later, he was loaned to Fenerbahçe.

Upon arrival, he immediately angered Mourinho by missing a team recovery session. "This is disrespectful. The rules are clear, and anyone who doesn't follow them must be prepared to face the consequences," the Portuguese manager reportedly said. After quickly falling out with his successor De Zerbi, Duran's loan ended prematurely in early February. His high salary, however, prevented him from remaining a contender for Europe's top leagues, so he was loaned out again, this time to Zenit, on a contract through the summer.

Due to Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, Duran was barred from international competition. This only reinforced the perception that money came first for him. Fred shared that view. "When he moved to Zenit, I told him: 'Oh, now you can make more money.' He replied: 'Brother, the more the better, the more the better.'" In conversations with the former Manchester United midfielder, Duran would always emphasize: "I saved my life, my family's life, and three generations' lives."

After 9 appearances for Zenit, scoring 1 goal and providing 1 assist, he did not return to the Middle East at the end of the season. Duran has now joined Benfica on loan. Since returning to top-flight football, he has largely been a substitute, scoring 2 goals in 12 matches so far.

Переведено ИИ.

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