"Prodigy child", this was the label that made João Félix a new generational phenomenon, seemingly ready to explode at any moment. From his early days at Benfica, he showed that he was different. That he was special. So special, in fact, that after his initial magic in Portugal, Atlético Madrid signed him for a staggering fee—€126 million in total. A Portuguese player in Madrid—comparisons were inevitable.
However, his rise never truly materialized, for one reason or another. From that moment on, João Félix embarked on a real odyssey, bouncing between loans and transfers from one club to another. The countless adaptation struggles he faced prevented him from making a lasting impact with any of the teams he played for. And yet, it all started so well.
The common thread across almost all his stints—Chelsea, Barcelona, and Milan, in addition to Benfica and Atlético—is the incredible speed with which he makes an immediate impact, scoring early and creating expectations with impressive performances. He makes everyone think, "Now he can really make it." But then, those expectations quickly deflate, as the rest of his appearances fail to match the initial flashes of brilliance.
The most recent and perhaps most memorable of these experiences is his time at Milan.
Another loan move, after Atlético sold him to Chelsea for half of what they had paid for him. João Félix arrived in Milan on the final day of the transfer window, and the Rossoneri fans welcomed him as if he were a marquee signing. Many believed that a dry loan spell could only benefit him, helping him to revive his career. Milan, however, did not secure a purchase option, meaning they wouldn’t have the final say on his future.
His debut was a dream.
A breathtaking half-hour display at San Siro in the Coppa Italia against Roma. It took him just ten minutes to score his first—and so far only—goal in a Milan shirt. And what a goal it was. A delicate chip that left San Siro in awe and opened up exciting prospects for the rest of the season. Prospects that, a month and a half later, now seem like pure fantasy. The player himself, in the same short span, looks like a mere shadow of what he was.
From that point on, it was a steady decline, despite the many chances, perhaps even more than he deserved, that Conceição gave him in both Serie A and the Champions League. Too flashy, too ineffective, not decisive enough, and lacking pragmatism. There is little left of the João Félix admired during that Milan-Roma half-hour. Even less remains of the João Félix who dazzled at Benfica.
His Milan experience is slipping away, just as the others did before. At the same time, by visiting Linebet Egypt, you can find thousands of other sporting events from all over the world, and you can make profitable bets on each of them using the LineBet bonus. Register today and dive into the world of a wide variety of sports.
Everything suggests that this is yet another wasted opportunity. The circumstances certainly didn’t help, but was it really Milan’s job to help João Félix, or should it have been the other way around? The ambitious January transfer window was meant to correct a season that had started poorly but was gradually finding the right path. A sudden shift, however, has sent it back in the wrong direction. And now, the situation seems almost irreversible.
Most likely, the only lasting memory of João Félix’s time at Milan will be those flashes of brilliance on a Coppa Italia night that dazzled everyone, only for reality to hit like a bucket of cold water, bringing everyone back down to earth. At the end of the season, Milan and João Félix will almost certainly part ways, as relayed via MilanPress.it. But right now, that doesn’t seem like a major problem. It’s a real shame, though, for what could have been—but wasn’t.
