Joao Felix: Barca and Atletico set for new saga – but Sunday was about proving a point – The Athletic

In Joao Felix’s mind, Sunday evening simply could not have gone better.

Barcelona’s 1-0 home victory over Atletico Madrid saw the 24-year-old take some long-awaited revenge against his parent club.

To Atletico’s despair, it was a beautiful chip from Felix that ended up deciding the game for Barca, who he joined on loan in September, four years after arriving at Simeone’s side for a club record €127million in 2019.

As soon as the Portuguese sent the ball past Jan Oblak, Felix climbed the advertising boards, spread his arms in a Bellinghamesque fashion and stood facing the reduced group of away fans who had travelled to Montjuic. Felix did not just celebrate his goal — he savoured the moment.

“It was simply a relief for me,” he said after the match. “Only my closest circle and family know what I went through this summer. This was a result of my hard work.”

Barcelona were the better team against Atletico at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Xavi’s side produced perhaps their best display of the season, led by the outstanding midfield trio of Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, who showed what they can achieve together — this was only the third time they have combined in midfield. A lack of end product, especially from Robert Lewandowski, was the only reason Barca failed to add to Felix’s 28th-minute strike.

Atletico were surprisingly unable to impose themselves despite Diego Simeone making three changes at half-time and his players also focusing on dealing with Felix.

No player suffered more fouls than the Portuguese’s five and two of Atletico’s four yellow cards came after hard fouls on him by Axel Witsel and Cesar Azpilicueta. Spanish TV broadcaster Movistar also captured how Jose Maria Gimenez became entangled with Felix after his former team-mate protested a foul.

“You hit me, mate,” Felix appeared to say. “Do you want to fight now?” came Gimenez’s reply. Atletico captain Koke then quickly arrived on the scene, saying to the Uruguayan centre-back: “They’re only trying to get a second yellow card for you, stay back.”

The atmosphere was as tense as everyone expected after what happened during the game’s build-up.

Atletico veterans Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann had spoken in recent interviews about Felix, suggesting his lack of consistency and failure to adapt to the club’s demands should explain his departure from Simeone’s group.

“When you arrive at this club, you know how it is and how the manager works,” Griezmann said. “Either you work hard or you won’t succeed. There were moments where Joao (Felix) worked really well, but you need to be consistent and he wasn’t. He got tired and eventually didn’t picture himself at the club.”

Felix replied that he “didn’t share their point of view” and after the match spoke more diplomatically than some expected him to.

“I get along with my former team-mates,” he said. “It does not have anything to do with them. I love them and wish them the best, except when we face Atletico Madrid. That’s all. Simeone? I haven’t crossed paths with him tonight.”

When he was subbed off in the 77th minute, Felix had completed 37 passes from 41 attempts and won seven of his 12 duels, as well as scoring the deciding goal. After the final whistle, he lifted his arms to the sky to turn and point to the stands where, next to the executive box, his family and friends were celebrating, too.

A few metres away from Felix’s camp was Barca president Joan Laporta, another of the night’s happiest figures because, finally, the club had something to hold over their Atletico counterparts in terms of recent transfer dealings between the two.

Days before Sunday evening’s game, some at Barca recalled a scene that took place back in January, when Barcelona were in Saudi Arabia preparing to play Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. One player was not going to be involved — Memphis Depay.

The Dutch international was negotiating his permanent transfer to Atletico. Back then, senior sources from Barcelona admitted having a sour feeling when dealing with Atletico. The Catalans had a worrying track record of selling extremely undervalued strikers to the Madrid club, who would then lead them towards huge success.

They mentioned the case of David Villa, who in 2014 won La Liga and reached the Champions League final with Atletico after arriving from Barca for €5million the previous summer. Then there was Luis Suarez, who also won La Liga with Atletico in 2021 while still getting a big part of his salary paid by Barca. Last summer, Atletico paid €20m to buy back Griezmann, who had cost the Catalans over €100m in 2019 and is now recovering the form of his life.

“For all this, we don’t enjoy dealing with Atletico. We just don’t want to do them any more favours,” club sources confessed last January on the Depay deal, speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment. “But in this case, the player is pushing to go there again and there’s no other option.”

GO DEEPER

Joao Felix: In limbo at Atletico, coveted by Barca – what’s next for €127m forward?

Felix’s display will go down as small compensation for Barcelona, but the two clubs are still destined to meet at another crossroads over his situation next summer.

The way Felix embraced defeating his parent club and what was already witnessed in the situation leading up to his Atletico departure, it seems practically impossible that he should return next season. After disappointing in his Chelsea loan last term, the Premier League does not seem a likely destination for him, which leaves Barca as his best shot for the future. They were the best fit among suitors in Europe this summer, but the club does not appear to be in a rush.

“The question of whether Joao (Felix) can stay beyond this season should be addressed to the sporting director,” Xavi said in his press conference after Sunday’s game.

Two of the five goals Felix has scored in all competitions for Barcelona only arrived in the past week. And though there have indeed been promising signs, such as the good connection he initially established with Lewandowski or the Athletic Bilbao win he decided in October, Barca also feel there’s not been consistency from his performances so far.

In La Liga, Felix has scored two goals and provided two assists in 12 appearances. According to statistics provided by fbref.com, he has the second-worst number of goals compared to expected goals in the whole squad, with -1.5, behind Lewandowski’s -2.2.

Felix signed a new Atletico contract until 2029 just before leaving on loan, which should see them able to demand a significant fee for any permanent transfer. Barcelona’s constrained finances might struggle.

The whole context seems to be leading towards a new transfer saga next summer, but this will be tomorrow’s problem.

For now, everyone at Barcelona is more than pleased with Felix’s addition, with his sweet revenge on Sunday’s big stage and with the best performance the team has produced this season. It could be seen as a much-needed turning point in Xavi’s reign.

(Top photo: David S.Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)