Matching actions with words. A few hours before the clash at the top of the 15th day of La Liga between FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, João Félix (24 years old) did not fail to make a name for himself. Mockingly, the Portuguese international (35 caps, 7 goals), loaned by the Colchoneros to FCB, had thus sparked the offensive timidity of his former club: “of course I prefer this style at Barcelona, me and all the players. If you ask every player, if you also ask the Atlético players, they would prefer to play more time in attack, that’s for sure. If they don’t answer this question, they’re lying. Of course, every player wants to attack, have the ball and score goals.. A way to launch hostilities for those who have seen their future regularly discussed in recent weeks.
Determined to leave his mark on this meeting, which was as eagerly awaited by the supporters as it was special for the person concerned, the number 14 of the Blaugrana finally gave victory to his team with a subtle spiked ball shortly before the half-hour mark (28th). The only scorer during this meeting, the native of Viseu also stood out by enthusiastically celebrating his 5th achievement of the season. Standing on the advertising boards, arms crossed facing the sparse stands of the Montjuic Olympic stadium, the ex-Chelsea player exulted, also allowing the Blaugranas to return to the third step of the podium in the league.
João Félix had no pity!
Questioned a few minutes after the meeting, Félix expressed no remorse about his celebration. “It was a spontaneous celebration. We are in the heat of the action and it was like a relief after the summer I experienced. Only those close to me know how I experienced it”, admitted the 1m81 right-hander, revengeful after a turbulent summer. At the same time, the Portuguese also confided that his victorious reunion with the Matelassiers was not “a special day”, even if he was able to interact with his former teammates, at least those with whom the flow goes well. Note, however, that Barça’s X factor has not crossed paths with Diego Simeone, his former coach. The latter, moreover, did not wish to discuss the case of the Portuguese. “I’m not talking about players from the other team”simply retorted the Argentinian in response to a question about the attacker.
If this terse exit confirms, once again, the frosty relations between João Félix and the Madrid management, FC Barcelona now intends to take advantage of it to keep its new protégé. Lately, Sport reported, in this regard, that the Culers, currently unable to drop 65 million on the Portuguese, hoped to extend Félix’s loan for one season, while including a compulsory purchase option. An operation which would then allow Barça to continue the adventure with its star, while preserving its financial health. The Spanish media specified, in this sense, that the Catalan management was banking on the deleterious climate reigning between the different parties to negotiate downwards the purchase option mentioned previously.
While waiting to know the outcome regarding the future of João Félix, the president of the Colchoneros, Enrique Cerezo, left all options open to him: “João (Felix) joined Barça on loan, he plays there and he is one of the best players in Europe. If next year Barça does not want to keep him, he will return to Atléti. It’s very simple, isn’t it?”, declared the Madrid leader in this sense. For his part, the Portuguese has never hidden his intention to continue in the Barcelona ranks, as evidenced by his recent outing at the microphone of Movistar+. “I’m happy here. If I stay, fine, my family is fine and we’ll see what happens in the future.”. Valuable since his arrival in Catalonia, João Félix has, in any case, scored new points in the eyes of the Catalan management…
