João Félix admits he “felt untouchable” in the past, now worries about not achieving his potential
João Félix has been speaking to the podcast Geração 90, during which he gave some interesting insight into how he dealt with his rapid rise to stardom.
Now with Chelsea in England, Félix became one of the most expensive players in the world in 2019, when he made a €126m move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid as a teenager. Félix admits that he had some difficulty in remaining grounded, but insists the weight of the transfer fee was never a problem for him.
Five years after his big-money transfer, Félix is perhaps regarded as a player yet to fully realise his potential. During his 3.5 years with Atletico, Félix won La Liga in 2021 and was named Los Rojiblancos’ Player of the Year the following season in 2021-22. Speaking over the weekend, the Seleção man says keeping his feet on the ground was probably more difficult than the pressure of the transfer fee.
“I’ve never really felt that pressure,” he said. “If you’re going to do something that you know you’re good at, that you’re confident in, you don’t need to feel pressure. If you feel pressure, things will go worse. Being anxious is good, but nervousness… I’ve never been like that.
“To be honest, at first I think [I stayed grounded] but then I think I went through a phase. Even with the support and upbringing I had, I am aware that I went through a phase where I felt I could do anything. I think that is normal, given everything that happened which was all a bit quickly.
“Honestly, [the price tag] never crosses my mind. Only if someone tells me about it. I'm not in bed before going to sleep thinking that I cost €126 million. I went through a period where I felt untouchable, but it was over quickly. I opened my eyes and others opened my eyes right away and that ended quickly because my father, if he has to say something, he says it. Whether it's good or bad.”
Félix still has time on his side to leave his mark at the highest level, but the former Benfica man admits that failing to do justice to his talent is a concern. “I’m afraid of failing myself, of disappointing myself,” he said. “Of things that I know I can achieve and not achieve because of my own fault.
“I know exactly what I want, I know exactly what I have to do to get it. My only fear is, for some reason, straying from that path.”
By @SeanGillen9