On the podcast "Charla," Fred was asked who was the "craziest" teammate in his career, and he answered with Duran's name almost immediately. Fred said the Colombian striker, whom he played with at Fenerbahçe, "doesn't care about anything."

Fred shared several anecdotes about the Colombian striker to back up his opinion. Once, he suggested Duran do extra training at the Turkish giant's training facility. "Let's go train, let's run there," he proposed at the time. However, Duran's response made him abandon the idea immediately. "He said, 'Brother, I'm rich, I don't need to run.' Then he went to the medical room and did nothing but walk around there," Fred recounted.

Such behavior seems questionable for a professional footballer, especially when he was in his best form. However, Duran's career path has raised many questions. His start in Europe was actually quite good—in early 2023, he joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire with a transfer fee of around €30 million and quickly made a name for himself with his goal-scoring ability. Even Bayern Munich was impressed—in October 2024, Villa beat Bayern under Vincent Kompany in what was Kompany's first official defeat as Bayern head coach.

Duran scored the late winner with a clever chip that left goalkeeper Neuer stranded. After that, he was even more willing to move. "Bayern is my dream club," and "it's one of the clubs I want to play for," Duran said at the time. Former team captain Damien Martinez excitedly said, "He could be one of the best strikers in the world." But it's well known that he never moved to Munich. Instead, he embarked on a truly wandering path. However, this wasn't about finding the best balance between environment and performance—it seems he was more interested in lining his own pockets.

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

Upon arrival, he disappointed José Mourinho by missing the team's recovery training session. "This is disrespectful, the rules are clear, and anyone who doesn't follow them must be prepared for the consequences," the Portuguese manager reportedly said. After quickly falling out with successor Roberto De Zerbi, Duran's loan was terminated early in February. However, his high salary made it impossible for him to stay in Europe's top leagues, so he was loaned to Zenit Saint Petersburg, with a contract until the summer.

Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Duran was banned from participating in international competitions. This reinforced the belief that money is his top priority. Fred agreed with this sentiment. "When he went to Zenit, I told him, 'Oh, now you can make even more money.' He replied, 'Brother, the more the better, the more the better,'" Fred said in his conversation with the former Manchester United midfielder. Duran consistently emphasized: "I saved my life, my family's life, and the lives of three generations."

After playing 9 matches for Zenit with 1 goal and 1 assist, he didn't return to the Gulf region at the end of the season. Duran has now moved to Benfica on a loan deal. Since returning to top-flight football, he has mostly featured as a substitute, scoring 2 goals in 12 appearances so far.

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