Cristiano Ronaldo went to Real Madrid, but the “second Ronaldo” João Felix dreams of moving to Real rivals Barcelona. He has publicly stated that he wants to move to Barcelona.
“Atletico Madrid striker João Felix has made a statement about his future,” Fabrizio Romano, a journalist specializing in European soccer, exclusively reported on his personal social media accounts on Monday (April 19).
According to Romano, Felix said, “I want to play for Barcelona, they have always been my first choice and I want to join them. It’s a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. If this really happens, it will be like a dream come true for me,” he said in a statement.
It’s a shocking statement. An Atletico player, with four years left on his contract, publicly stated that he wanted to move to a rival club.
Atletico were also furious. “Felix has revealed a new path for his future through Romano,” said Spain’s Relevo. Just nine days after returning to Atletico from his loan spell at Chelsea, he publicly stated his position and demanded a move to Barcelona.” “The Atletico board did not expect Felix’s comments at all. Their anger was directed at Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes.”
According to Relevo, Atletico never gave Felix permission to make these comments and are very angry that he broke the club’s internal discipline. “Felix’s agent is well aware of the conditions that Felix must fulfill in order to leave the club,” said Atletico, “and we have no comment on the matter at this point.”
The Portuguese striker was once touted as the next Ronaldo. After playing for Benfica in his home league, Felix made his Atletico debut in 2019, replacing Antoine Griezmann, who left for Barcelona that year, wearing the number 7 shirt. Being given the number 7 jersey, which symbolizes an ace, shows how much Atletico expected from him, but his performances have been disappointing. 안전놀이터
His overall ability to move, dribble, and pass when he didn’t have the ball was excellent, but his finishing, which is the most important thing for a striker, was lacking. After three and a half seasons of being in and out of the starting lineup, he failed to establish himself, and at the end of last season, after signing a four-year contract with Atletico, he left on loan to Chelsea in the Premier League.
After failing to make an impact at Chelsea and returning to Atletico on an outright transfer, Felix lost the number seven shirt to Griezmann, who had returned from Barcelona. He was subsequently linked to Turkkiye Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the player himself has stated that he wants to move to Barcelona, narrowing down the list of potential destinations.
Unlike Ronaldo, who left Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2009 and became a club legend, Felix wants to move to Real rivals Barcelona. However, Barcelona’s financial situation is such that it’s unclear if they can afford a transfer fee for Felix, who has four years left on his contract.