Why João Félix never fulfilled his huge promise

One of the biggest deals of the summer transfer window has been João Félix’s move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Once the anointed face of the new generation, the Portugal international is now on the brink of oblivion after yet another move. Unlike previous transfers that took him to top European clubs, his latest sujourn to Saudi Arabia appears to mark the close of a chapter for Félix. 

Little is expected of him in this move, and there will be minimal criticism and media attention on him in the Middle East, yet Al Nassr are taking a gamble on him. The Saudi giants have paid Chelsea up to £26.2m (€30m; $35.2m) as an upfront fee for the attacker, with add-ons taking the total valuation to £43.3m (€50m; $57.2m).

If all add-ons are included, Félix will fall among the top 15 most expensive deals of the summer, which has seen so many big moves. 

His move to Al Nassr also brings him into the top four for players who have had the highest transfer fees. 

Félix is now in his third permanent transfer, and the fifth club of his career, despite just being relatively young at 25 years old. After moving between Benfica, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, and now Al Nassr, the Portugal international has cost clubs a combined sum of £181.2m. 

This means that only Neymar (£349.1m), Romelu Lukaku (£314.5m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£192.8m) have accumulated more on transfer fees than Félix. The 25-year-old has even accumulated more transfer fees than serial mover Alvaro Morata, who has moved five times and has cost clubs £168 million.

Chelsea signed Félix for £42m last summer after a loan spell. The move was his second permanent move following his £113m move from Benfica to Atlético Madrid in July 2019. Back then, Diego Simeone’s side had signed him after he won the European Golden Boy award following a stellar season at Benfica. 

The rise of João Félix

Félix rose through the youth ranks of Portuguese side Benfica, making his professional debut for the club’s reserve team at just the age of 16. At the time, he was the youngest player to debut for Benfica B, a record since been broken by Cher Ndour. 

He played 13 matches and scored three goals over the season. In the following season, he featured in the 2016–17 UEFA Youth League, playing a key part in Benfica's run to the final of the competition and scoring six goals in the tournament.

After that impressive season, he was promoted to Benfica’s first team squad in the 2018/29 season. He made his debut in a 2–0 Primeira Liga win at Boavista that summer, scoring his first Primeira Liga goal a week later and thus becoming the youngest player to score in the Lisbon derby.

The Portuguese impressed in his debut season at the Estádio da Luz, scoring 20 goals for the first team. The highlight of his season was scoring a hat-trick in a 4–2 UEFA Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt. In doing so, he became the youngest ever player (aged 19 years and 152 days) to score a hat-trick in the competition, breaking Marko Pjaca's record by 67 days.

That season, he was ranked second among teenagers for goals and assists across Europe's seven best leagues, behind Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho. As expected, his form led to interest from several top clubs, including Atlético Madrid, who were willing to smash their transfer record for the then-19-year-old.  

In 2019, Atlético Madrid paid €126 million (£113 million) for Félix, making his move the fourth-highest sum ever paid in football. His move was also Benfica's most significant transfer and Atlético's most expensive signing ever, as well as the second-highest fee ever paid for a teenager (after Kylian Mbappé).

Upon his arrival at the club, he was handed the number 7 shirt previously worn by Antoine Griezmann, who had departed for Barcelona. 

Initially, Félix hit the right notes at Atlético Madrid, making 36 appearances in his first season, while scoring nine times. He also had a relatively successful second and third seasons, making a total of 75 appearances in those two years, while scoring ten goals, winning a league title, and receiving the club’s Player of the Year Award in the 2021/22 season. 

However, despite some positives at the Wanda Metropolitano over three seasons, not many fans and holders of Atlético Madrid tickets were satisfied with Félix. By the winter of 2023, he left for Chelsea on loan. 

Things initially went well for him at Stamford Bridge, but that wasn’t enough for Mauricio Pochettino to sign him permanently. Another move to Barcelona would follow, but again it failed to yield any permanent move, partly due to Barca’s financial struggles and his inconsistency.

He would sign for the Blues permanently in the summer of 2024 as they hoped to sell more Chelsea tickets, but would last only six months there before heading out for a third temporary switch to AC Milan. Like Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea before, AC Milan didn’t want to take Félix after five months. 

And so he was left in transfer limbo, unwanted by every club he had offered himself to. Six years after his big move, Félix finds himself on the brink of extinction at Al Nassr. 

But what happened to João Félix? 

Why has he failed to live up to his early promise and huge potential?

Here are five factors that may have contributed to the slow death of one of football’s brightest youngsters.

Leaving too early 

João Félix may have left Benfica way too early. The Portuguese forward undoubtedly had the world at his feet at Estádio da Luz, but left it after just one season for the unfamiliar waters of Spain. 

Perhaps the reasoning behind his departure then was to test himself against more established players and in a tougher league. There is no doubt that such a decision, under the right conditions, makes players better.

But in Félix’s case, it appears that it had an adverse effect, as he was thrown into deep waters before he was prepared to swim in them. Maybe if he had stayed at Benfica for two or more seasons, he would have been more mature and ready for a team like Atlético Madrid. 

Read more: Is Lamine Yamal on the path to destruction?

Pressure from the hefty price tag

Another factor that may have contributed to João Félix’s decline over the years is the pressure associated with his high price tag.

If Atlético Madrid didn’t pay €126 million for Félix, fans and the media may have been a bit less harsh on him. Maybe his return of nine goals and three assists in his first season would not have been frowned at. But after moving for that amount of money, much was expected of him, and he failed to deliver, because the expectation was just too much for his young shoulders.

Read more: What each top Spanish club needs to win the title next season

Wrong choice of teams 

Another factor that has negatively affected Félix is his choice of teams to join. 

On paper, it appears he went to teams not suited to his skill set. 

Many who observed Félix from the outside, as he chose to join Atlético Madrid, were left wondering who was advising him. For a player who had the world at his feet and every top club knocking on his door, choosing Diego Simeone’s side was seen by many as a baffling decision. 

Everyone knew that Félix wasn’t an Atlético Madrid type of player. He was too fine and polished to play on Simeone’s side. Perhaps Conte and the player thought they could work out something, but it never worked between the pair, and it wasn’t long after he moved that he started having struggles fitting in. 

Félix had difficulties in adapting to Diego Simeone's playing style, with Simeone trying to find his ideal position either as a right winger or second striker. The 25-year-old also struggled with the fact that the forwards under Simeone were expected to press their opponents frequently when playing off the ball, which often left him drained during the match. 

When in possession, he was also unable to create scoring chances, leading Spanish newspaper Marca to name him one of the most disappointing transfers of the season.

Barcelona was the only club where he seemed suited. However, the club’s precarious financial situation prevented him from making a dream move. Chelsea was also not suited for Félix, with the Blues' erratic transfer dealings not being something a player like him needed. 

There is a sense that Félix would have had it better if he had moved to a club like Manchester City under a manager like Pep Guardiola. Perhaps things would have been different. 

Injuries 

Injuries also played a part in Félix’s career turning out the way it has. While he never suffered any serious long-term injuries, a few niggles, particularly in his second and third seasons at Atlético Madrid, hampered his progress, as they happened just around the time he was becoming influential for the club. 

Perhaps, breaking into the limelight too early could be part of the reason he had injury niggles. This makes one wonder what Félix would have become if he had remained fit around the time he was constantly injured.

Attitiude 

While this is unproven, Félix has been accused of possessing a bad attitude.

Some former teammates have accused him of being lazy and unwilling to put in the effort. Those who argue in his favour cite his playing style as a reason for his being perceived as lazy and laid back. 

Perhaps Félix is a victim of his playing style, and the tag of being a lazy player is not a product of his own making.