Colombian striker, Jhon Duran, who recently joined Al-Nassr from Aston Villa in a deal reportedly worth around £64 million to £71 million, is facing an unusual challenge as he settles into his new role.
Despite earning a substantial salary of approximately £320,000 per week, Duran will not be able to reside near Al-Nassr’s training facilities or stadium due to strict Saudi Arabian laws. The issue arises from Islamic law discouraging unmarried couples from cohabiting.
As a result, Duran and his girlfriend have chosen to live in Bahrain rather than Saudi Arabia.
This decision necessitates a daily commute of about 600 miles for training sessions and matches at Al-Nassr. Each time, Duran will undertake an hour-and-twenty-minute flight between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for work commitments. While this arrangement might seem inconvenient compared to typical professional setups, it highlights the complexities faced by international athletes navigating cultural differences abroad.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery praised Duran as “a fantastic player with fantastic potential,” acknowledging that his departure was driven by personal career ambitions rather than dissatisfaction with the club. The transfer has allowed Aston Villa to strengthen their squad further by recruiting players like Marcus Rashford on loan.
Despite these logistical challenges and understandable speculation about potential future moves back to Europe’s top leagues within a year or two due to ensuing complications, personal considerations or future career aspirations that may arise, Jhon Duran remains focused on making the most of this opportunity alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr has since denied rumors surrounding these commuting arrangements as “obnoxiously funny fake news,” but reports suggest that living outside Saudi Arabia is indeed part of their plan.
Nonetheless, financial constraints are unlikely to be an issue for Duran given his lucrative contract in the Middle East, with his new deal set to earn him a whopping £1.4m per month. That means he will take home a tax-free amount of £321,000 per week, £46,000 per day and £1900 an hour.
Taken with a pinch of salt, the Colombia international could likely stay for a short period in Saudi Arabia before returning to Europe. Do not be surprised to see him back in one of the top five leagues before the start of next season.
Well, it certainly looks like the young Colombian striker has found a challenging way to balance his priorities – love for his partner and the love of hard cash – albeit having to pay a high price to have both!