Joao Felix has been one of the most talked about players in Spanish football over the last 12 months. He forced himself away from Atletico Madrid last winter to join Chelsea on loan, and did so again during the summer when he joined “dream club” Barcelona for the 2023-24 campaign.
Felix joined Atleti in 2019 on a club-record deal from Benfica, and for the most part, he failed to hit the heights that were expected of him. However, this was not entirely his own fault – at least that’s the view of Portuguese teammate Bernardo Silva.
Bernardo told A Bola (via Diario AS) that while he made the right choice in joining Manchester City in 2017, Felix did not do the same when he swapped Benfica for Atleti two years later. Bernardo also believes that Barcelona is a much better club for Felix.
“I arrived at a club to which my qualities adapted, and he didn’t. It’s not a criticism of Atletico. He went to the wrong place. I, perhaps, wouldn’t have triumphed at Atletico either. I would have tried to adapt and followed the coach’s idea, but it wouldn’t have been ideal for me.
“Now I’m happy because I see him happy and in an atmosphere more in line with his game (at Barcelona). He’s much stronger than he was a few years ago.”
It’s very easy to say that Felix was not suited to Atletico Madrid, but as Diego Simeone has shown over the last 12 months, he is more than capable of playing attacking, attractive football. Felix has to look just as much in the mirror over his time there, rather than blame just being passed on.
