In January 2023, a desperate Chelsea management hired Joao Felix for the rest of the season. The Portuguese, who showed “Ronaldo tactics” at Benfica, was brought to Atletico Madrid for an astronomical €126 million in 2019. Since then, Felix has never been able to meet the enormous expectations.
After a somewhat sad time for Joao Felix at Chelsea, a loan move to AC Milan was completed a few days ago. AC Milan boss Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushed through a number of transfers in the winter window, the one who sat the furthest inside was the Portuguese second striker who very few believed in.
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Joao Felix scored in his AC Milan debut against Roma on Wednesday night and the Italian media went completely off the rails. The Rossoneri were incredibly active in the January transfer window, bringing in the likes of Kyle Walker, Warren Bondo and Riccardo Sottil.
Against Roma in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, there were three more new recruits – including freshmen Felix and Santiago Gimenez – who both lined up on the bench after joining late in the window.
Tammy Abraham scored twice against her parent club in the first half after being set up by Theo Hernandez, before Artem Dovbyk reduced early in the second half.
The 25-year-old is on a six-month loan deal from Manchester City.
Felix and Gimenez both came into the game just before the hour mark and combined in fantastic fashion for the third goal.
The Mexican international, a €32 million signing from Feyenoord, played Felix through with a defence-splitting pass, and the Portuguese international, on loan from Chelsea, latched onto it and delivered a delicious chip that opened his account for AC Milan.
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The media in Italy couldn’t help but be thrilled by the link between the debutant pair, with Stephen Agresti of Gazzetta dello Sport writing: “They played together for half an hour, a little more, but it was enough to understand that Joao Felix and Gimenez speak the same language: the language of those who know how to play football.
“Without ever having spent a minute on the pitch side by side, against Rome, the two new Milan strikers looked after each other and soon found each other: a deep touch from the Mexican from Buenos Aires, a chip from the Portuguese, a goal. Everything and immediately. As if they had smelled each other and had sensed, in each other, the right scent in each other, a successful act is not enough to have a birth. couples, but there was a strong feeling that two special types had come to the San Siro, with the ideal qualities of being together.”
Agresti went into more detail about Felix, saying, “We thought we’d find him a little more scared, insecure, maybe even cramped. The signal he sent on his debut in Milan was instead the opposite, as if he wanted to break the world: I’m going to show you who I am. If he can provide continuity to those very first minutes, the Rossoneri fans could have fun with.”
Tuttosport led with the headline “Milan Felix right away, goodbye Roma”, while Quotidiano Sportivo simply said: “New Milan paradise. Abraham-Joao and Rome are out.”
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Sergio Conceicao’s side are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Empoli, with Felix hoping to make a first start.
