João Félix

Biography of João Félix

João Félix (born November 10, 1999 in Viseu, Portugal) is a professional soccer player who has gained recognition as one of the best Portuguese soccer players today. European sports press has highlighted him as the successor of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team.

 

Beginnings

João Félix began his career in the youth academy of Porto, before moving to Lisbon to join the minor divisions of SL Benfica. His outstanding performance led him to the under-23 team in 2016, where he scored 7 goals in 29 games. He made his debut with the first team on August 18, 2018 in a league game against Boavista FC, contributing significantly to the team’s victory.

A few days later, he also debuted in the UEFA Champions League 2018-2019, in the first game against PAOK Salonica FC. On April 11, 2019, he became the youngest player at that time to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League. With the Portuguese team, he played in all competitions: Liga NOS, Allianz Cup, Placard Taça de Portugal and Champions League, his performance attracted the attention of the best teams in Europe, including Manchester United, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

 

Atlético de Madrid

On July 3, 2019, S.L. Benfica announced the sale of João Félix to Atlético de Madrid for a fee close to 126 million euros, becoming the most expensive signing in the history of the Spanish club at that time. This transfer reflected the new goals of Atlético de Madrid to compete at the highest level, a team that has historically been in the shadow of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The transfer generated a lot of media attention on João Félix and generated high expectations for his performance.

João Félix’s debut with Atlético de Madrid met expectations, as a standout play resulted in a penalty in favor of his team, which ultimately determined the victory. His consistency earned him the Golden Boy award, which recognizes the best European soccer player under 21 years old, an award that has been won by some of the biggest soccer stars in the world. Since then, João Félix has been widely recognized as one of the most important players in the Spanish League and a great promise for European soccer.

In the 2020-2021 league season, João Félix was a key player for Atlético de Madrid, which became champion, scoring 7 goals. However, the 2021-2022 season was complicated for Atlético de Madrid; poor results obtained by a team that stood out in recent years for its consistency, created a difficult environment for players, coach and fans. The relationship between João Félix and coach Diego Simeone deteriorated to the point of causing controversial reactions from the player.

After the Qatar World Cup in which João Félix participated with the Portugal national team and after some unfortunate statements about the discomfort caused by playing in the tactical model of Atlético de Madrid, João Félix was transferred to Chelsea F.C in England.

 

Chelsea F.C

In his debut with Chelsea F.C, João Félix had a contradictory performance and generated multiple reactions in the English sports press. His first participation on the field was very outstanding, generating an unbeatable chance of goal, which was wasted. However, in the second half, after a strong tackle, he was sent off, leaving his team with 10 players and being a factor in the team’s defeat.

 

National team

He has been a player in the Portuguese national team’s youth teams, he has been part of the under-18, under-19, and under-20 teams. Later, he made his debut with the senior team on June 5, 2019 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League against Switzerland, a match that ended 3-1 in favor of the Portuguese team after Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick. He participated in the Qatar World Cup with the Portuguese national team.