What next for Félix? Chelsea misfit risks being left behind by history at the age of 23

João Félix took Mykhaylo Mudryk’s volleyed pass in the centre circle and ran at the Manchester United defence. Raphaël Varane, unprotected by a central midfielder, backed off. With a slight feint, Félix had Varane shift his weight right when it needed to go left, glided into the space that opened up as a result and then drove his finish low from the edge of the box past David de Gea.

At a different time, in another context, it might have been regarded as a stunning goal, an intervention of the highest quality. Everything about it was precise and direct. But it was in the final minute of a 4-1 defeat.

Félix had come off the bench 25 minutes earlier. Which seemed to sum up his loan move to Chelsea. He is a seductive player, graceful and imaginative; it’s just that nothing he does seems to matter much, an artist dealing in cameos still looking for his masterpiece.

His celebration – a hand raised matter-of-factly towards the Chelsea fans in the corner and an unfussy jog back to halfway – seemed an acknowledgment of that. There was no anger, no bitterness, no frustration, only a beautiful player creating a beautiful moment, a goal unlikely to be remembered beyond compilation videos that will leave viewers wondering exactly when it was that Félix scored a classic at Old Trafford and why it has been largely forgotten.

Félix’s move to Chelsea began badly as he was shown the first straight red card of his career on his debut at Fulham – causing him to miss the final third of that game and the next three matches. As was pointed out at the time, given a loan fee of £9m plus £6m in wages, that red effectively cost Chelsea £2m – although those calculations assumed Félix would be wanted in every fixture. As it turned out, he started 14 games.

So where now, what next? Félix is 23 but already there is a mounting sense he may not live up to potential. His Atlético Madrid contract runs until 2027 but, after a breakdown in his relationship with the coach, Diego Simeone, he will surely be on the move this summer. Chelsea, which had seemed a plausible long-term destination when he joined on loan, have no interest in a permanent deal.

When Atlético signed Félix from Benfica in 2019 for £113m, he was the fourth most expensive player in history and the second most expensive teenager. It always seemed a slightly odd move: what were Atlético, Madrid’s scrappy blue-collar club, doing paying that sort of money? What did Simeone want with a player like that?

In his first season, the doubts seemed justified. Simeone seemed never quite able to decide whether Félix was at his best as a second striker or operating wide and he struggled to deal with the physical demands of Atlético’s press. None of which would have felt particularly remarkable for a player who turned 20 during the campaign, had it not been for the fee.

The following season, though, Félix’s form in the autumn was probably the single most important factor in winning the league. Given Atlético’s status compared with Real Madrid and Barcelona, that alone was arguably enough to justify his fee.

He had a decent 2021-22 as well but as Atlético had a poor start to 2022-23, Simeone seemed to blame him. He started seven games and, after being left on the bench in a Champions League game against Club Brugge despite being sent to warm up three times, Félix asked for a move.

It would be easy to blame Simeone and the eternal negotiation between his tactical instincts and the apparent demands of the modern game, but Atlético’s form improved significantly once Félix left. Nothing he subsequently did at Chelsea suggested Atlético should be in any rush to take him back.

Even after three and a bit years under Simeone, Félix just doesn’t seem a modern player. It will be remembered far less than his goal at Old Trafford, but a defining moment of Félix’s time at Chelsea came in the 29th minute of Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Leicester in March.

After an unremarkable spell of Leicester possession Nampalys Mendy pushed the ball back to Harry Souttar about 10 yards inside his own half. The Australian attempted a ball down the right flank, but Félix stretched out his right foot behind him in a sort of languid scorpion gesture and deflected the ball away from its intended target of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall; Ben Chilwell gathered the loose ball. It was Félix’s only registered interception in a Chelsea shirt.

To call Félix a player out of time is perhaps unfair. He is not Juan Román Riquelme, born a quarter of a century late for his skill set and disposition, but neither is he one of the world’s most natural defensive forwards, despite his success under Simeone.

Nobody should really judge any player on how they have performed at Chelsea this season. The sense of chaos has been overwhelming. But neither was his loan spell the fresh start he may have hoped for, nor was it much of an advertisement for his abilities, certainly not for a player likely to be looking for about £300,000 a week.

At a big club in a lesser league, unpicking massed defences every week, perhaps producing a moment of magic in a big European game, Félix would probably thrive but the question is whether he has the discipline to succeed at the very highest level, whether his immense ability is being harnessed in the best possible way.

At 23, he still has time to develop that, but there is a clear risk he could be left behind by history, falling between the stools, neither quite familiar enough for the celebrity clubs nor quite rounded enough (while being expensive) for the philosophy clubs. His next move is a vital one.*

Félix is a seductive player, graceful and imaginative; it’s just that nothing he does seems to matter