Joao Felix finally got his long-awaited move to Barcelona as a new loanee from Atletico Madrid, where he struggled to perform. The young forward wanted to leave Atletico for a long time, and a loan spell to Chelsea wasn’t very fruitful.
Felix even publicly declared his desire to leave the club for rivals Barcelona, whom he claimed to have supported for a long time. After many days of negotiation, Barcelona managed to secure him on a loan deal on the deadline day of the transfer window. And the whole incident made him emotional when he was welcomed into the club.
Footage reveals Joao Felix’s emotional reaction to Camp Nou unveiling
The Portuguese forward would be staying at Barcelona for the whole season. After securing the transfer in the last hours of the deadline day, Joao Felix made his formal presentation yesterday. There he showcased his skills as he mesmerized fans with his sublime footwork.
Unable to control his emotions, Felix could be seen shedding tears which are a reflection of the sacrifices he had to make to go to his dream club. Unwanted at Atletico, where he was benched regularly, the forward couldn’t entice Chelsea to buy him permanently after his loan spell for the Blues last season. He then decided to publicly state his desire to leave for Barcelona, which made negotiations start.
Joao Felix broke down into tears during his Barcelona presentation 😢
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 3, 2023
He finally got his dream move ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UVgSVKgTuU
However, Barcelona’s financial struggles meant a permanent transfer was impossible. Therefore a loan deal was discussed, but even then, it took a lot of hard work to finally register Felix in the last moments of the transfer deadline day.
Felix reportedly even gave up a significant portion of his salary to make the move possible. Barcelona did not have to pay for a loan fee as well, as Atletico wanted him out and didn’t want to pay his huge wages. All of these definitely had an impact on Joao, who couldn’t hide his emotions after finally signing for his dream club.
Felix’s forgettable Chelsea spell
Barcelona fans may like Joao’s dedication to them but must be equally wary of his performances. After all, his last loan spell for Chelsea didn’t go as expected.
The Portuguese joined on a six-month loan back in January, but things went wrong from the beginning. He was sent off in his debut match itself, sidelining him for a month. He only managed 4 goals in 20 matches. Having two managers, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard also didn’t help.
According to Sportsbrief, Chelsea had paid Atletico $11m to bring Felix in. Furthermore, they had paid $8m to the player as his wages. Putting these amounts into perspective, Chelsea had to pay roughly $4m for every goal Joao Felix had scored.
Barcelona fans will be hoping that Joao will be better than his stint at Chelsea and that he will aid them in securing another La Liga title.
