Jhon Duran snubbed new Al Nassr teammate Cristiano Ronaldo when naming his footballing idol

Jhon Duran snubbed new Al Nassr teammate Cristiano Ronaldo when it came to choosing his footballing idol as he revealed his selection.

The 21-year-old Colombia international recently departed Aston Villa in the January transfer window for the Saudi Pro League side for a reported £64 million plus add-ons.

Duran joined Villa in January 2023 from Chicago Fire for an initial reported £14.75 million and went on to score 20 goals in 78 games for the Villa Park side, meaning Unai Emery's side have made a healthy profit on the forward.

Now he has moved to Al Nassr, Duran has linked up with Ronaldo.

Duran made his debut for the Saudi side in the 4-0 victory against UAE Pro League team Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League earlier this week, with his club forced to release a statement about his rumoured decision to live in Bahrain and commute to Riyadh in the wake of his first appearance.

Ronaldo has been at Al Nassr since 2023, after his departure for the second time from Manchester United following a fallout with then boss Erik ten Hag and his deal at Old Trafford being terminated.

Ronaldo recently turned 40 and has scored 87 goals in 95 games across all competitions for Al Nassr as the Portuguese shows no sign of letting up despite the recent landmark age in his life.

He also has 217 caps and counting for Portugal, having found the back of the net on 135 occasions for his country.

Jhon Duran made his Al Nassr debut earlier this week. (Image: Getty)

Now Duran is seeing Ronaldo first-hand on a daily basis through training and playing games with the Portuguese, it might be imagined the Colombian international would opt for his new teammate when it comes to selecting his football idol.

But Duran has instead chosen Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the legendary player he looks up to most and has explained the reasons behind his decision.

As per Footboom, Duran said: "I love him for his personality, his self-confidence, his goal-scoring ability, and his temperament on the pitch.

"He always said: 'Why be like everyone else when you can be different?'.

"So, I really appreciate the way he approaches football and life, and I admire that example."

Like Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic also played into his forties and only retired in the summer of 2023 after a third spell at AC Milan.

Ibrahimovic also played for Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy in his playing career.

The striker also scored 62 goals in 122 caps for Sweden, and is now a senior adviser to one of his former clubs AC Milan after hanging up his boots.