340 million over 5.5 hours: How Durran became the most expensive spectator in the RPL

340 million over 5.5 hours: How Durran became the most expensive player in Russian football history The signing of this Colombian forward by Zenit has indeed become a case of one of the most inefficient transactions in Russian football history. Durran earned 340 million rubles over 5.5 hours on the field. During those 326 minutes, Zenit paid the player 4 million euros in personal terms, and also paid Al-Nasr 2.75 million euros for the right to rent him out. In theory, the forward became a national champion, but statistics and disciplinary issues show a completely different picture.

Durran’s contribution to the team’s gold medals was minimal: • He scored zero goals during the season. • He contributed only 0.26 xG per game over 9 matches – less than the 36-year-old Yerochin. • He created fewer scoring opportunities than Diveev (2). • He didn’t play against Krylya Shakhty Bolshov, as he was in Barcelona at that time. • His performance against Spartak was even worse than that of the goalkeeper Latyshonok. • He terminated his contract with Zenit before the decisive match against Rostov, and went back to Colombia.

This story clearly illustrates the risks associated with transfer policies that are based on status, rather than real sporting results. The players from Saint Petersburg got a champion, but they lost a valuable asset at a critical moment in the season.