At home in Colombia, Wilberth Perea takes the story of Jhon Duran back to the beginning.

“I first met Jhon at a Pony Futbol (a Colombian youth tournament),” says Perea, who coached at Envigado, the first professional club that scouted Duran at age 11. “He was thin, tall and hungry to get ahead.

“I was given permission to go to the school where Jhon studied to talk to his teachers – we had to emphasize the academic side of him. His studies were of utmost importance, so I went to his school a lot.

“There was one time I went to ask for a permit to allow Duran to play and not go to school. The teachers said to me: ‘If you find him in the classroom, we will give him a permit’. I entered the school and Jhon was not in the classroom.

“I was furious. I went straight to his house because he lived close to the school. I found him there listening to reggaeton music. That day I almost grabbed him by the throat because I made a sacrifice so he could get that permit, but he didn’t complete his academic studies.

“We had to sit at his table to study, explain things and make him aware of the importance of education. It wasn’t easy. Jhon is very intelligent, but he spent little time on his studies. He didn’t like them that much. He loved the ball more than a notebook or a pencil.”

Duran was born in Zaragoza, a municipality of Antioquia, a modest area with about 24,000 inhabitants. It is mountainous, has heavy rainfall and has no employment opportunities. Duran’s family moved a short distance to the city of Medellin and the Aranjuez neighborhood, close to his school. When Duran, the young boy, became a teenager and progressed at Envigado, he lived closer to the training center.

“He comes from a poor community, yes, but it was rich in gold,” said Juan Carlos Grisales, an academy coach at Envigado who met Duran at age 11. “He was a normal boy with a lot of work ethic.

“As he got older, he lived here in Envigado with his grandfather. His grandfather brought him here to train and accompanied him. He was not a rude boy, but he was always very calm.”

“It was more than just a poor area,” says Perea. “Jhon had to develop. It’s full of working people, fighting every day to get ahead. The desire to get better was imprinted on him. Nothing he got was free. He had to work.”

Perea, second from left, and Duran, third from left, with current Envigado players (Wilberth Perea)

Duran is only twenty years old and sometimes seems pregnant with self-confidence. He isn’t always the easiest to understand or bond with at first, but coaches and friends have learned to be patient.

Those who know him at Villa, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say he struggles with English, which is one reason he keeps to himself. Sometimes his more gregarious side comes out: smiling, joking and often singing to himself or anyone else who will listen.

“Big Jhon… he’s a bit crazy,” Villa captain John McGinn told Sky Sports in May after Duran came off the bench to score twice in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool. “He is sometimes a nightmare to have in your team. But he has moments of quality.”

Duran celebrates against Liverpool (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

“Jhon was and always is a strong character,” says Perea. “He has a dominant temperament, but a competitive spirit. From a young age, Jhon was always passionate about football. He could always count on the support of his parents, Senor Regino and Saturnina.

“Maybe those who don’t know him see a person who is full of himself, but he is not like that. Jhon is a very humble person who is very calm. Jhon is a very straightforward man. You need to communicate with him to get to know him better. You might get a bad impression of someone because of the way he or she expresses themselves, but Jhon is a great person.”

“All players have strengths and weaknesses, but he was never undisciplined or rude,” Grisales said. “He was a well-mannered boy.”

At Villa, Duran has frustrated both the supporters and his club.

One problem was his social media account, which the club regularly unfollowed, while 90 minutes before kick-off of January’s FA Cup tie with Chelsea, he posted a congratulations to fellow Colombian Mayra Ramirez on her move to the Western club London, using three blue hearts. This was at a time when Chelsea were showing interest and were keen to move the Colombian.

“For me it’s a mistake by a youngster,” said Villa manager Unai Emery when asked about Duran’s behavior on social media. “We talked to him a lot throughout the season about his commitment, about being focused, about his development, respect and so on. When he made these mistakes, we talked to him and tried to show him the commitment we want to build here.”

Emery is confident the striker can become one of the best strikers in the world provided he exercises patience in waiting for starting opportunities and develops his mentality, as Emery has consistently outlined.

“As a player and professional, take responsibility and try to make a difference mentality here he is one of the players I have to be close to in support,” the Villa manager said in August.

Emery has made concerted efforts to keep Duran’s stardom in check. In 18 months, the Colombian international has started just two Premier League games, coming on as a substitute for Ollie Watkins and gradually increasing his minutes. This has deeply frustrated Duran, who, despite Watkins’ excellent goalscoring numbers, believes with all his heart that he is the club’s best striker.

Duran wanted to leave this summer. His representatives, including agent Jonathan Herrera, flew in for talks at the end of July after Duran returned late for pre-season due to his involvement in the Copa America. Chelsea were particularly keen ahead of the June 30 financial deadline, when Villa were under pressure to meet Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). AC Milan also kept an eye on things, but it was West Ham who were the leaders. It reached a point where teammates were under the impression he would move to London.

West Ham had a bid of £32 million ($42.5 million) plus 18-year-old midfielder Lewis Orford rejected, but Duran remained adamant he wanted to go. He faced disciplinary action after crossing his arms to make an Irons-shaped gesture on an Instagram live, with interest from West Ham. He spoke openly to ESPN Deportes about hoping to move to one of the “big teams.”

Duran’s talent has never been in question, but as Emery and Villa’s football hierarchy recognizes, one of the biggest threats to Duran realizing his potential is if those maverick tendencies become overwhelming.

Duran joined Villa in January 2023 in a £14.75m deal, which could rise by a further £3m. He had scored eight goals in 22 MLS games for Chicago Fire, who he joined after leaving Envigado in January 2022, and Villa’s recruitment team had been tracking the striker.

Much of the foundation was laid before Emery’s arrival in October 2022, with Villa being almost ruthless in their attempt to sign him. The staff traveled back and forth from the US to convince Duran that Villa would provide the most favorable environment for progress, explained through multiple presentations that mapped out his trajectory. Villa co-owner Wes Edens even went to see Duran play in Chicago.

However, there were two major sticking points. Villa were concerned about Atletico Madrid’s interest and secondly, to finalize an agreement they had to convince Emery, who did not know who Duran was. After watching videos presented to him by analytics staff, Emery agreed that Duran had tremendous potential and approved the deal.

Since then, despite several tumultuous moments off the field, Emery’s admiration has grown. Team-mates and staff are sometimes impressed by Duran’s skill in training and what he can produce, to the extent that his thunderous winner against Everton last month was not seen as surprising.

Duran after scoring his stunning long-range strike against Everton (Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images)

Although the actions of Duran and his camp angered Villa in the summer, they were patient. Just as Perea and Envigado did before them, Villa’s football staff had to talk to Duran regularly, keep him on side and explain clearly how important he was. He regularly meets with president of football operations Monchi, who has children older than Duran and therefore thinks he can resonate, and director of football Damian Vidagany.

It’s clear that Duran wants to be loved. Most importantly, Villa recognizes that he is still a young man adapting to a new country and a new challenge. Teething problems are normal, especially for someone like the striker, who grew up in the contrasting environment of the West Midlands and the bright lights of the Premier League.

Quietly, Villa believes Duran has turned a corner. His squad number changed from No. 20 to No. 9 at the start of this campaign, a small but telling gesture that suggested Emery considered him a key player. Duran was told that while he would not start consistently yet, he would fill in in games with even more time on the clock.

This season, his only full game was the 2-1 Carabao Cup win away to Wycombe Wanderers, where he scored Villa’s second. The next day, after playing 90 minutes and on a team-free day, Duran did a strength session at a private gym. Relatively speaking, his salary is at the lower end of the scale and there will certainly be a desire to negotiate a more lucrative package.

“If there is a club that really thinks Duran can become one of the top strikers in the world, that one club is Aston Villa and that one manager is Unai Emery,” said Monchi. “There are no fewer than forty clubs that want Duran, everyone wants him.”

Duran plays for Colombia (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

Villa’s faith and, in some ways, forgiveness are justified. Duran has scored eight goals in 277 minutes this season, about one every 35 minutes. Of Duran’s total of nine Premier League goals, eight have come as a substitute, with three winning goals coming from the bench this season alone; no player has scored more winners as a substitute in a single Premier League campaign.

“He can be one of the best strikers in the world,” Villa and Argentina No. 1 Emiliano Martinez told the BBC. “But he has to keep his feet on the ground and work hard.”

Duran is transforming into a high-caliber striker, driven by immense self-confidence, the understanding of his coaches and the careful development of Emery.

Duran the football player does not reflect Duran the person. On the field he is powerful, physically dominant and often chaotic. Off the field he can come across that way in public, but those who know him suggest those qualities are softer and require a deft and understanding touch, like the boy who watched Perea skip school and listen to reggaeton.

Villa have given similar leeway with the greater good in mind: developing Duran into the elite player they believe he can be.

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)