Joao Felix finally found a team where he could thrive after a number of years and failed attempts. The creative forward left Portugal to pursue higher heights in Spain.
After a disappointing experience at Atletico Madrid, he joined Barcelona only hours before the transfer window closed in August. At least that’s how it appears after a few games.
Return Home for Joao Felix
When Barcelona plays FC Porto on Wednesday in its second match in the Champions League group stage, Joao Felix will be returning to Portugal. Félix began his career with Porto as a young player before switching to bitter rival Benfica at the age of 15. There, he made his breakthrough as a teen and was later acquired by Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Clash with Coach
Joao Felix ultimately fell out with Atletico’s manager after constantly objecting to Diego Simeone’s defensive-first, offensive-second approach to play. He ended up spending the second half of the previous season on a dismal loan at Chelsea.
Félix tried to push a transfer to Barcelona by openly proclaiming his desire to play for Xavi Hernández’s team after returning to Atletico in the off-season. He then agreed to a pay reduction in order to stay under Barcelona’s already-stressed wage ceilings.
Joao Felix Fits Right in
The athlete and the team have thus far benefited from the decision.
Since joining Barcelona, the 23-year-old Félix has scored three goals and worked well with his teammates. In Barcelona’s 5-0 blowout of Antwerp in the UCL, two of those goals were scored against them.
Joao Felix stated on Tuesday, “I think I’ve adapted well to Barcelona. I’ll keep putting forth my best effort to make things work out. Wherever a game is played, scoring is what I aspire to do in every game. However, it would be particularly memorable if I scored at Porto because my loved ones would be there to see it.
UCL is Key
Barcelona’s hardest group stage matchup is expected to be the contest at Estádio do Drago. At the top of Group H, both clubs have three points. Before their Wednesday match in Belgium, Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk had zero.
