In April 2019, Benfica welcomed Eintracht Frankfurt to the Estadio da Luz, and Joao Felix was already making waves. The 19-year-old prodigy had an impressive 12 goals and six assists to his name in his first full season with the Benfica senior team.
However, a stunning hat-trick against Frankfurt in the Europa League quarterfinals propelled both his reputation and price tag into the stratosphere. It wasn’t just top club scouts in attendance who knew they were watching something special.
Felix was a versatile inside forward, capable of playing across the front line with devastating effect. Ultimately, he would end up at Atletico Madrid, who won the race for his services with a record-breaking €127 million (then around £115m) transfer fee.
Fast forward five years, and Felix has been confirmed as Chelsea’s latest signing, with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction. So, what went wrong in Madrid?
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid for £42.7m
Felix truly announced himself as the brightest young talent in the game back in 2019
A hat-trick for Benfica against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League sent him into the stratosphere
Felix ended up signing for Atletico Madrid for €127million (then around £115m) at the end of 2018-19
Atletico Madrid ultimately saw off stiff competition from top European clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, to secure Felix’s services.
However, Felix struggled to adapt to Diego Simeone’s stoic and organized structure at Atletico, and fitness issues hampered his progress. Despite flashes of brilliance, he never truly delivered on his hefty price tag.
Felix courted controversy with a reaction to scoring against Villarreal in the title-winning season of 2020-21, which added to the perception that he was struggling to adapt to life in Madrid.
There were rumours of a difficult relationship between the player and manager Diego Simeone
He courted controversy with a reaction to scoring against Villarreal in the title-winning season of 2020-21
Felix struggled to impose himself in Spain and struggled for both fitness and consistent minutes at Atletico
Felix’s time in the Spanish capital appears to be over, with back-to-back loan moves away from the club. Chelsea have retained an interest in his services, and with a six-year deal agreed between the two parties, he looks set to return to Stamford Bridge.
So, why is the man who won the 2019 Golden Boy award, touted to lead Portugal into a new era, and expected to shatter records and lift numerous trophies, leaving Atletico Madrid through the back door?
Well, it’s fair to say that his play style didn’t truly fit Atletico, and Felix deserves a large portion of the blame for struggling to adapt and his borderline childish and petty celebrations against his parent club.
In Felix, though, Chelsea have a ludicrously talented individual who perhaps needs nurturing in the right direction, a little bit of faith to encourage those flashes of marvellous brilliance, and a steady base to re-discover his game from.
Enzo Maresca has more than enough on his plate, bedding in 12 other players this summer and introducing a brand new philosophy to Chelsea. They are not currently the steadiest of bases by any stretch of the imagination.
But with the Italian preferring a possession-based counter-attacking style of play, don’t be surprised if by the end of the season the world is once again clamouring for a seat to watch one of the most technically-gifted players of his generation set about his craft with effervescent glee once again.