One of the surprises that Atlético de Madrid carried out last year was the permanent transfer of João Félix to Chelsea after several loans. The Portuguese player, who completed part of the preseason with the red-and-white team, had no intention of staying at the Metropolitano. He showed a good attitude in the friendlies, even scoring some goals, but the decision was completely closed and there was no turning back.
However, his second stint at Stamford Bridge hasn't been as positive as he might have imagined when he agreed to return to England. In fact, he made the decision to leave the Premier League to wear the AC Milan jersey, where he seems to be having more prominence. Even so, he is very close to facing his first setback at the Italian club, barring a miracle next week against Feyenoord.
Match Point for João Félix
The last six months for the Portuguese international have been very complicated, even more so than the first time he decided to leave Atlético de Madrid. After failing to convince during his loans to Chelsea and Barça, he was determined to leave the colchonero team and finally settle in a new destination. By a twist of fate, that change of scenery happened thanks to the London team, achieving his transfer for around 50 million euros.
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However, as many thought, he hasn't been able to convince Enzo Maresca, having little prominence and showing his best version in the Conference League. In the winter market, he went out on loan again, this time to AC Milan, where he seems to be getting more minutes until summer. However, this week he fell in the first-leg defeat of the Champions League tie against Feyenoord (1-0), coming close to the brink of elimination.
Unsuccessful Away from Simeone
His numbers are very poor, having scored eight goals and two assists across all competitions he has played between both clubs. The reality is that João Félix hasn't found that great version he achieved with the colchonero team the season he lifted the LaLiga title. Simeone managed to bring out his maximum performance, in addition to seeking to make him a better player in all possible facets.
Cholo always said that the Portuguese player would end up hating him, but he would appreciate everything he was teaching him in his early years in Spain. No one knows if he regrets his decision, but the numbers make it clear that he hasn't been able to return to the same level he had a few seasons ago. Perhaps these months in Italy will help him regain some of the humility and start to grow based on his work on the field.