Ivan Larsen 
The football career of young Portuguese forward João Félix is a subject that raises many questions. Immediately after his transfer from Benfica to Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2019 for a record sum of 127 million euros, attention was drawn to the promising forward. It is understandable and unsurprising, as few clubs can afford such expenses for a young player. However, the “mattress makers” took the risk, but this decision has not yet justified the expectations of the management. Currently, the Portuguese is playing for Barcelona and is fighting with his club for the championship in La Liga. Can Barça challenge Real Madrid? If you want to make a prediction, you can Mostbet skachat and place bets on any markets. Meanwhile, let’s consider the options for João Félix’s potential career continuation.
Staying at Atlético Madrid
Despite the huge expenditure, Félix’s move to Atlético seemed a questionable decision for at least two reasons. Firstly, the Portuguese had only one season of high-level performance, scoring 15 goals in the Portuguese league—a achievement not considered particularly outstanding. Secondly, the forward was signed to replace Antoine Griezmann, who was leaving for Barcelona, but these players had different playing styles. Much has happened since then, but Félix still does not demonstrate the game analysis and work ethic inherent in his famous predecessor.
Therefore, these two transfers cannot be considered equivalent exchanges. Perhaps Diego Simeone had certain tactical plans for the use of the technical player, but they were not realized.
Future at Barcelona
After returning from a loan spell at Chelsea last summer, Félix openly expressed his desire to join Barcelona. Such a move is not surprising— the Portuguese thereby expressed sympathy for Atlético’s principal rival in La Liga. Subsequently, this led to the player not being included in the squad for the starting matches of the season—Simeone simply decided not to involve the forward.
However, the Catalans heard Félix’s calls and reached an agreement with Atlético’s representatives for his loan transfer. He quickly gained popularity, scoring for his new club and being considered one of the main achievements of Barcelona in the Spanish arena. However, a nine-match drought followed, once again showing his instability, which is also evident when playing for Atlético and Portugal.
Therefore, the unresolved question remains: can Barcelona afford to buy the player’s rights? Initially, the cost for Barça could have been up to 100 million euros, which is an astronomical sum even for wealthy Spaniards. Subsequently, this figure was reduced by Atlético to 80, and then 65 million euros, but it is still too expensive for the Catalan club. The option of extending the loan agreement, satisfactory to both clubs, is possible if there are no more interesting offers.
Prospects in the Saudi Vector
In this regard, a logical question arises: can the overseas billionaires lure the impulsive Portuguese to them? Probably, there is not a single well-known footballer who has not been associated with strong Saudi projects in the last month. Although statistics show that Félix does not yet arouse colossal interest, this is apparently only a matter of time and the player’s own instability.
However, an authoritative Arab publication, Arrab News, reports about an important Arabian club ready to finance the transfer of the Portuguese, otherwise the parties are more likely to focus on other options to strengthen the attacking line. The Portuguese himself prefers to solve the issue with his football in elite European clubs.
Future Opportunities
The footballer indeed wants to play for a top club, and he has certain prerequisites for this. It is worth considering the fact that Félix occasionally demonstrates bright and interesting play, which attracts close attention to him. However, the main problem for the Portuguese is the lack of stability, which somehow eludes him.
Félix continues to search for his environment, where he can overcome difficulties and justify the sums spent by the club. Although he ruled out prospects at Atlético after open opposition and enormous criticism from the club’s own coach, it is difficult to imagine that he still has a future in the Madrid team. Especially after the Portuguese openly expressed his desire to leave the club and then scored against “mattress makers” twice as part of Barcelona.
Atlético has Álvaro Morata and the returned Antoine Griezmann. For some time, the Madrid team was one of the most productive teams in Europe even without the Portuguese. His return is unlikely to significantly strengthen Diego Simeone’s team. And does the Argentine specialist want to see in his team a player who loudly declared his desire to leave and then scored against his former team?
In any case, right now João Félix stands at a crossroads. Ahead of him are difficult decisions that will determine the further trajectory of the career of a talented but unstable forward. One thing can be said for sure—the intrigue around the Portuguese will not subside at least until the next transfer window.
