Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix has arrived at Barcelona on loan to equal measures of enthusiasm and scepticism after a year of struggles at Chelsea and the Metropolitano, but his latest showing will have perhaps tipped the balance in favour of excitement.
Felix did not feature for Roberto Martinez’s Portugal last week, as they beat Slovakia away from home by a goal to nil. However, they unleashed all of their talent against Luxembourg on Monday night.
With Portugal cruising at 6-0, Felix was sent on for the final half an hour, and made his case for more game time in emphatic fashion.
Joao Felix remains talented at the very least, rest assured.#AtleticoMadrid #Barca pic.twitter.com/rxVQoheAQa
— Football España (@footballespana_) September 12, 2023
The 23-year-old has 6 goals in his 32 Portugal appearances, and was one of the key cogs in the Portugal side that went to the World Cup. However so far, he has been a bit-part option for Martinez’s opening games.
Felix will be hoping to take that confidence back to Barcelona with him, as he looks to make a case for a starting spot at Montjuic. Generally, Xavi Hernandez has been using four midfielders, which would mean changing profiles in order to play Felix in one of those roles. He will have to demonstrate that with and without the ball he can replicate the production of the likes of Gavi or Pedri.
