Even before his shot hit the net, Joao Felix was already trying not to celebrate.
As the Portuguese schemer’s Barcelona team-mates mobbed him in celebration, fans of his parent club Atletico Madrid screamed frustration at their side going behind.
Meanwhile, the goalscorer himself was studiously looking down at the ground, his face completely expressionless. Even as Barca’s Fermin Lopez pointed at the Atletico ultras just yards away, Joao Felix averted his gaze and did not even smile.
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But surely he was grinning deep inside.
Through the previous 38 minutes of Sunday’s La Liga match in Madrid, each intervention from Joao Felix had been whistled angrily by the home support. It had not happened often, as Atletico were having the better of a low-key game, but they made sure their feelings were very clear.
Before kick-off, rubbish was left on Joao Felix’s plaque on the stadium concourse (all Atletico players with more than 100 appearances have one). An Atletico jersey with his name was even placed on the spot and set on fire.
João Félix’s jersey has been set alight pic.twitter.com/wie2z5tIYo
— Into the Calderón (@intothecalderon) March 17, 2024
When the Barca starting XI was read out just before kick-off, as soon as the stadium announcer spoke his number 14, the noise was so loud that the words “Joao Felix” were barely audible above the jeering from fans.
Many of those supporters once cheered his silky touches and moments of skill in an Atletico jersey, which included some key interventions as Diego Simeone’s team won the 2020-21 La Liga title.
At some points, several Atletico fans, if never a majority, would have sided with Joao Felix in his straining against Simeone’s super strict tactical and physical demands. Some in the Atletico boardroom also wanted Simeone to show more understanding and find a way to get the best out of the club’s record €127million (£109m; $138.5m) signing.
But that is all history now, with the final breaking point for many being his summer interview asking to leave for Barca, as he sulked his way through pre-season with Atletico and the relationship with Simeone broke down.
November’s first ‘reunion’ in Barcelona was especially difficult for Atletico. Some fans felt they gave him too much attention in that 1-0 defeat, which distracted players from a game in which they played very poorly. That allowed Joao Felix to dominate the narrative with a fine goal and an ostentatious arms-wide celebration in front of the small travelling support at Montjuic.
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Sunday’s return ‘home’ to the Metropolitano was not nearly so dramatic, but even a second goalscoring performance for Barca against Atletico is unlikely to make much difference to Joao Felix’s long-term future.
If anything, the fact he raised his game to produce two of his best displays of the season against his parent side could be counted against him, perhaps at both clubs.
It is not coincidental that Joao Felix’s other best moment was scoring against Porto in a key Champions League group game in November, again when motivation was high given he was at Porto as a teenager before joining their biggest rivals Benfica.
“I like these big games, hot games, they motivate me more,” Joao Felix told DAZN in the build-up to this Sunday’s match.
But coaches, team-mates and fans need a player with Joao Felix’s talents to exert themself every week, for every game. “If only he always played as well as when he plays against us,” said Atletico’s Jan Oblak wistfully, a few weeks after the season’s first La Liga meeting.
But he has not. The week after the first match-winning display against Atletico, Joao Felix had one of his worst games of the season as Barca lost 4-2 at home to Girona. Xavi was especially angry with his attitude that night, not working hard enough off the ball as the Catalan giants were embarrassed by their neighbours.
Against Villarreal in January, Joao Felix was also substituted with Barca 2-0 down early in the second half after not tracking back in the build-up to the two goals Barca conceded. Barca lost that game 5-3 and Xavi stunned everyone afterwards by saying he was going to leave at the end of the season.
Sunday’s goal was neatly made and taken, as Barca’s most experienced and most technical players combined, with Ilkay Gundogan feeding Robert Lewandowski and Joao Felix.
Joao Felix did play his part in the celebrations of Barca’s other goals, scored by Lewandowski and Lopez, especially with a closed fist pump for the third goal that sealed the result.
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The home fans continued to jeer his every touch and there were loud cheers when veteran Atletico defender Stefan Savic kicked him from behind to earn a deserved yellow card. Barca fans responded to this by chanting ‘Joao Felix’ and he acknowledged their support when he was withdrawn by Xavi with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Again, there was a stony look on his face as he quickly left the pitch to loud whistles from most of the crowd, knowing the cameras would be on him. At full time, he came onto the turf to celebrate with Barca team-mates, with neither he nor the beaten Atletico players seemingly thinking it the moment for any embraces or catch-ups.
Speaking to ESPN afterwards, the 24-year-old said: “The fans in the stands do not know the things that happened during my time here,” he said. “I shouldn’t be the bad guy in this situation.”
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Joao Felix has nine goals and five assists from 34 appearances in a Barca shirt. In early February, Barca’s president Joan Laporta said sporting director Deco was “working on him continuing” at the club.
But Xavi’s thoughts on the subject seem clear after giving him just 13 minutes in brief substitute appearances during the recent last-16 Champions League tie with Napoli. If there is the money to make only one of their Portuguese loan signings permanent, most at the club would jump at Joao Cancelo instead.
Atletico have not been keen to commit to anything and the reception Joao Felix received showed just how difficult it would be to reintegrate him into Simeone’s setup, even if he does still have a contract with the club until 2029 having extended just before he joined Barca on loan.
“We did not speak about Joao with Barca during the directors’ lunch,” said Atletico president Enrique Cerezo on Sunday. “But he knows that if he plays well he can play wherever he likes.”
That is the crux of the issue. Everyone who has worked with Joao Felix knows he has the technical ability to be among Europe’s very best players when he is fully focused and on his game.
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“Joao played a very good game, without the ball, too,” said Xavi at his post-match news conference. “He was extra motivated. I’m happy for him.”
Again, the subtext was: if only he could be so motivated more often.
“For the moment, I’m focused here and not thinking any further as it all depends on how things go between now and the end of the season,” Joao Felix told DAZN this week.
A steady run of committed and decisive performances, against high-profile and low-profile opponents, could still change the outlook, but as things stand, neither Barca nor Atletico really want Joao Felix in their squad for next year.
(Top photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)