The 18-year-old enjoyed a strong first season at Chicago Fire, earning transfer interest from around Europe as well as his first international caps
As the second half began during a September friendly between Colombia and Guatemala, the South Americans emerged without the iconic Radamel Falcao. The striker, a pillar of Colombian football for the last 15 years, had been replaced after 45 minutes.
On in his place came a 6'1 mountain of a teenager, Jhon Duran, to make his first senior appearance for his country.
For the football romantics out there, it was a moment that could be seen as a passing of the torch.
Because, while Duran will have to do a whole lot to come close to matching Falcao's legacy, it does seem that he has the potential to be Colombia's striker of the future. And, if all goes to plan, he could become the country's next star to make waves in Europe.
Duran, though, is taking a different path than many of his predecessors, albeit one that is becoming more and more common these days. The 18-year-old recently completed his first season in MLS with Chicago Fire, but he probably won't be there for long as some of the world's biggest clubs watch on.
But who is Duran and what makes him so special? Let NXGN explain…
GettyWhere it all began
Born in Medellin, Duran's career began with Envigado, a club that is renowned for producing Colombia's stars of the future.
The likes of James Rodriguez, Fredy Guarin, Juan Quintero, Matheus Uribe, Jhon Cordoba all came through the Envigado ranks before making their marks on the European game.
At one point during his academy days coached by Wilson James Rodriguez, James' father, Duran was converted from a winger to a central striker as he progressed through the age-group sides.
He made his first-team debut for the club in 2019 before later that year becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in Colombian top-flight history, at just 15 years and 263 days old.
AdvertisementThe big break
By January 2021, Duran had done enough to catch the eye of the Chicago Fire, who reportedly paid a transfer fee that could rise to $2.5 million (£1.8m) to secure a deal for the youngest foreign signing in MLS history.
Due to his age, though, Duran didn't join the Fire until the start of the 2022 MLS season. Instead, he spent one more season at Envigado, scoring seven goals in 23 league appearances.
When he did arrive in Chicago, he was eased in, as the 18-year-old striker spent much of the year as second-choice behind veteran Kacper Pryzbylko.
Still, Duran didn't take long to find the back of the net, scoring his first goal off the bench in a 2-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati in May.
His true breakout performance, though, came in July, when he netted a brace against Toronto FC in a 2-0 win.
"I’m happy for him, I hope he can keep going like this," his team-mate and ex-Liverpool star Xherdan Shaqiri said following Duran's star turn. "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. This is important for him, too, to work hard in training and in the games, then, to deliver.”
Getty ImagesHow it's going
By the end of the season, Duran had racked up 27 appearances, 14 of which were starts. And, over the last month or so of the MLS campaign, he appeared to really find his footing.
He scored twice in a 3-1 win over Inter Miami on September 10 and added another in a 3-2 loss to Charlotte one week later.
Then, after earning his first two caps for Colombia in a pair of friendly wins, he returned net another brace against FC Cincinnati in the final weeks of the campaign.
He finished the season with eight goals in 1363 minutes, making him the Fire's leading goalscorer.
He also provided three assists, giving him the second-most goal contributions on the team behind only Shaqiri, despite starting fewer than half of the club's games.
Biggest strengths
The first thing that strikes you about Duran is his size. Standing at 6'1 (185cm), Duran has towered over opponents since he was 15, and has long had the strength to play well above his own age.
Since arriving into MLS, his ability to handle the physicality was apparent. He never looked out of his depth despite taking a step up in level.
“He is a player that, once he gets it all together, he can be a really, really special player,” Chicago Fire boss Ezra Hendrickson said. “He has all the tools.”
Duran isn't a simple target man,though. He has pace to burn and is more than comfortable taking players on in transition. He has both the speed to beat a player, which explains why he was a winger at a young age, and the strength to outmuscle a defender if they do catch up.
And then there's his touch, which was on full display in his chipped finish against FC Cincinnati. The technique is there and so is the composure in front of goal.
There's also the added threat he brings at set pieces, with Duran proving to be a menace from dead-ball situations this season.