The Fall Of Felix - Inside One Of Football's Most Confusing Careers

The adjacent section successful 1 of football's astir confusing careers is astir upon america - and pinch it comes nan emotion that nan imaginable he erstwhile had will ne'er beryllium fulfilled.

Joao Felix, who is group to subordinate Al-Nassr from Chelsea, remains nan 3rd astir costly transportation ever - successful position of first interest - having costs Atletico Madrid £113m from Benfica astatine nan property of 19 successful 2019.

The Portugal guardant has since gone connected to play for European giants Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea - yet, since leaving home, has ne'er scored much than 10 goals successful a season.

Now, aged 25, he is disconnected to Saudi Arabia. As Lisbon-based journalist Marcus Alves, external puts it: "The emotion backmost location is that Felix has officially fixed up connected being a genuinely top-level world player."

So what happened?

"It doesn't look location is immoderate turning constituent for him," said Spanish shot journalist Guillem Balague.

"It drives coaches mad. They spot nan imaginable but he'll ne'er fulfil it. It's a intelligence thing. It's not that he's not bothered - but he's not listening."

Having travel done nan Benfica academy, Felix became nan youngest subordinate successful Benfica B history erstwhile he made his debut successful Portugal's 2nd tier aged 16.

He went connected to make his first-team debut successful August 2018 - and, put rather simply, he was brilliant, particularly successful nan 2nd half of nan season.

Felix netted successful nan Lisbon derby against Sporting conscionable a week aft his preamble and became nan youngest subordinate to people a Europa League hat-trick successful their quarter-final necktie pinch Eintracht Frankfurt.

He ended nan play pinch 20 goals successful 43 games crossed each competitions, 15 of those coming successful 26 convention matches.

Benfica won nan title and Felix was named young subordinate of nan year, named successful nan Portuguese convention squad of nan play - and later that twelvemonth won nan Golden Boy grant for nan champion subordinate successful Europe aged nether 21.

"Those six months of him playing astatine Estadio da Luz regularly were by acold nan champion I've witnessed from a subordinate successful almost a decade successful Portugal," said journalist Alves.

"It was axenic art, a joyousness to watch. He seemed destined for nan top.

"Back successful mid-2019, erstwhile Cristiano Ronaldo arrived astatine nan Portugal campy for nan Nations League finals, I retrieve seeing a header connected TV that said 'Ronaldo joins Felix'. Felix, not nan team.

"That was nary joke - it was conscionable really highly rated Felix was astatine that time."

Then Atletico Madrid came calling to complete 1 of nan biggest transfers successful history.

The 4 astir costly transfers to this day, sorted by British pounds and not euros, were each made betwixt 2017 and 2019.

The apical 2 were Paris St-Germain's signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Number 3 is Atletico Madrid's £113m move for Felix to switch Antoine Griezmann, who they sold to Barcelona for £107.7m successful nan 4th biggest deal.

There he would nexus up pinch Atletico's Argentine leader Diego Simeone, who is legendary for really difficult he makes his teams work.

"We should person seen what was coming," said Balague. "On 1 juncture earlier connected successful his clip astatine Atletico, Simeone sewage really huffy astatine him during a game, asked him to do definite things and you could spot really Joao Felix was ignoring him.

"He fundamentally ended up doing thing for illustration nan worldly Simeone was asking him to do. From past connected he started to travel successful and retired of nan broadside and we started to perceive stories astir his deficiency of protect commitment. But I deliberation it goes deeper."

There were bully times astatine Atletico, too, but not capable of them to warrant that fee.

In 3 and a half seasons successful (and out) of nan Atletico squad he scored 35 goals, arsenic good arsenic 16 assists, successful 131 games.

In 2020-21 he was portion of nan Atleti squad who won their 2nd La Liga title nether Simeone.

But he only started 14 convention games that play - and netted conscionable 3 goals aft Christmas successful immoderate competition.

The pursuing run was worse for nan squad but amended individually, arsenic Atletico vanished 3rd but he was named nan club's subordinate of nan season, pinch 10 goals successful each competitions coming earlier a season-ending wounded successful April.

"After 2 and a half years of flattering to deceive, Joao Felix is yet starting to look tin of becoming 1 of nan champion players successful nan world," a BBC article astatine nan clip opened with.

But it was a mendacious dawn.

"The costs to Atletico suggests location was a earthy talent," said Balague.

"I deliberation he's nan past procreation of players arsenic kids who were told really superb they were, that do not admit nan different broadside of it that you request – which is to activity without nan ball. Even pinch nan shot he's not accordant enough."

Halfway done nan adjacent season, Felix wanted out.

"He is nan biggest stake this nine has taken successful its history," Atletico main executive serviceman Gil Marin said successful December 2022., external "I personally deliberation he's a apical talent, a world-class player.

"For reasons it isn't worthy getting into - nan narration betwixt him and nan leader [Simeone], nan minutes played, his information correct now - it makes you deliberation that nan reasonable point is that if there's an action that's bully for nan player, bully for nan club, we tin look astatine it.

"I'd emotion him to enactment personally, but I don't deliberation that's nan player's idea."

Then came his first indebtedness spell astatine Chelsea.

In January 2023 Graham Potter's Blues signed him connected a six-month woody for a indebtedness interest of £9.7m. At nan aforesaid clip Atleti extended his statement for a twelvemonth to 2027.

Arsenal and Manchester United had besides been linked to him.

Felix looked rather bully connected his Chelsea debut successful their derby lucifer against Fulham... until he was sent disconnected for a lunging tackle connected Kenny Tete successful a 2-1 defeat.

He would only commencement different 13 games for nan nine erstwhile his three-match prohibition was over, positive six much disconnected nan bench, scoring 4 goals.

And that summertime caller Chelsea leader Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Frank Lampard, who had successful move replaced Potter, decided he did not want Felix truthful nary imperishable woody was struck.

Felix subsequently returned to Atletico, but was reportedly seen arguing pinch sporting head Andrea Berta and made to train pinch nan reserves.

Griezmann, nan man he was signed to replace, was backmost astatine Atletico and moreover took his number 7 shirt.

And past Felix angered nan nine and their fans by announcing he wanted to subordinate Barcelona - and was booed connected nan opening time against Granada, a crippled he did not moreover play in.

He sewage nan move to Barca, nan squad he said he supported arsenic a boy, connected a season-long indebtedness connected 1 September.

The Portuguese scored 10 goals for Barcelona, pinch 2 of those coming against his genitor club.

He was nan first subordinate to people successful some La Liga games against Atletico Madrid for immoderate broadside since Lionel Messi 4 years earlier.

Barca did look into keeping Felix but signed Dani Olmo alternatively - and past came different different move.

Considering really Felix did not group nan world alight during his indebtedness spell astatine Chelsea, it was somewhat of a astonishment that they paid £45m to motion him a twelvemonth later.

He agreed a seven-year woody - 1 he is now group to time off six years early.

The signing came nether unusual circumstances and was possibly 1 for nan accountants alternatively than nan coaching staff.

Chelsea wanted to waste Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, a move that would thief them meet profit and sustainability rules because nan English midfielder was a younker merchandise truthful would count arsenic axenic profit.

But Atletico could only spend to bargain him if they sold someone.

The Blues tried to bring successful Samu Omorodion but that move fell done - truthful they signed Felix instead, for £12m much than nan Spanish nine paid them for Gallagher.

He scored connected nan first crippled of his return, against Wolves, but that would beryllium to beryllium his only Premier League extremity arsenic a imperishable Chelsea player.

Felix netted 7 times for nan Blues past season, 1 extremity each 135 minutes - which really made it nan champion spell of his profession successful position of goals since leaving Benfica.

But that included doubles against Panathinaikos, Noah and Morecambe arsenic he featured chiefly successful cup games.

Just 7% of nan measurement done that statement he joined AC Milan connected a six-month indebtedness for a £5m fee.

His clip successful Italy yielded conscionable 3 goals successful 21 games - 1 each 339 minutes - and is champion remembered for a viral incident pinch Kyle Walker.

"Pass nan shot - cipher present is Messi," Walker was filmed saying to Felix successful nan passageway astatine half-time successful a crippled against Napoli.

The England defender later said connected his BBC podcast that they were discussing squad strategies and it was not him criticising nan Portuguese.

Much for illustration Chelsea and Barcelona before, Milan did not make nan indebtedness permanent.

"Because of nan imaginable he had there's ever nan dream things will alteration but, to beryllium honest, each nan clubs he's been astatine precocious travel retired pinch nan aforesaid conclusion – he's not a modern guardant successful position of work-rate," said Balague.

"He doesn't want to alteration what he offers to shot and that takes you to a limit."

Portugal-based newsman Alves added: "When he was unveiled arsenic a Atletico subordinate successful 2019, location were six TV channels broadcasting nan position live. Now cipher appears to attraction overmuch anymore.

"He's conscionable go a five-minute conception wrong transportation marketplace shows each window."

With Felix intelligibly not having a early astatine Chelsea, moreover being near retired of their Fifa Club World Cup squad this summer, location was talk of him returning to Benfica.

A chance to spell location and effort to rediscover nan magic from nan commencement of his career. The romanticist move.

"The full world knows that Benfica is my favourite team. It's my home. One time I will return. I don't cognize if it's now aliases successful a fewer years, but if it were now I would beryllium very happy. There are 2 options: either I enactment successful England aliases I return to Benfica," he said earlier successful July., external

Benfica leader Bruno Lage warned publically that Felix could person to return a salary trim to make nan move happen.

And... instead, he is disconnected to Saudi Arabia and Al-Nassr, wherever he will play nether ex-Benfica leader Jorge Jesus and alongside Portugal fable Ronaldo.

"Regardless of really overmuch effort his PR squad does [about those Portuguese links] - that was surely not wherever you pictured him going successful those Benfica days," said Alves.

"Earlier this month, he told section TV that he was inclined to return to nan Lisbon giants. That made a batch of consciousness - he would be, aft all, reunited pinch nan head that took nan astir retired of him successful his profession truthful far, Bruno Lage. "

Balague said: "We opportunity [in Spain] caput of a rat alternatively of tail of a lion.

"He's not accordant enough, doesn't activity difficult enough, doesn't fresh nan caller position successful shot that has go nan predominant exemplary of our times - because it requires responsibilities and obligations he's not consenting to do."

Felix has won 2 Nations Leagues pinch Portugal and scored 9 goals successful 45 caps.

Alves added: "The emotion is those six months of unthinkable shot astatine Benfica will beryllium nan champion you've seen from him. That's why it's truthful frustrating to spot him heading astatine 25 to Saudi football."