Atlético once again has a world promise in its squad, a player called to dominate football in the future despite being only 20 years old. Since Kun Agüero, who left the rojiblanco team in the summer of 2011, the rojiblanco team did not have such a young figure with so much depth in their squad until the arrival of João Félix eight years after his goodbye. Two diamonds in the rough that stand out for their talent and quality with the ball.
And the Portuguese is following in the wake of the Argentine on his arrival at the club, with a first year of learning to meet all the expectations placed on his signing. João Félix, like Agüero, left a most exciting preseason, clarifying the reason why Atlético decided to make the largest investment in its history for its services. Although the amount of the transfer serves to show the inflation of soccer and the increase in the mattress's economic power. If Kun happened to be the most expensive signing in Red and White history in 2006 for 23 million that the club paid to Argentinian Independiente when the player was only 18 years old, the amount of João Félix this summer shot up to 127.2 million paid to Benfica by the 19-year-old footballer.
But already in official competition, João Félix's season is going from less to more. The Portuguese started the course displaced to the right wing and participating very little in the game, although leaving flashes of its quality such as the play in his debut against Getafe to cause a penalty, his assistance to Vitolo on the second day or his goal to Eibar on the third. Same day in which Agüero premiered as a rojiblanco scorer. The Argentine scored his first goal with Atlético in San Mamés on the third day of the League after starting the course as a regular substitute with the idea of Aguirre to start giving him little by little.
An ownership that João Félix has had from the first day, but in the case of the Portuguese it has been the injuries that have slowed his participation in the team, with two long injuries of one month each. So far it has disputed 2,124 minutes in 28 games, 24 of them as a starter. Since his return to the team after overcoming a muscle injury, João Félix saw the door against Villarreal and against Sevilla, in addition to assisting Marcos Llorente in the first of his goals against Liverpool. Two goals and one assist in four games before the halt caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.
A slowdown that comes when he was achieving continuity playing as second tip. Your global statistics: six goals (four in the League and two in the Champions), one every 354 minutes and three assists, which are already on par with Agüero's in its first year, with a total of seven goals (six in the league and one in the cup) in 2,634 minutes, one every 376. What's more, João Félix's goal scoring debut in the Champions League against Lokomotiv at 19 years and 325 days, served to break Agüero's record, at 20 years and 106 days, as Atlético's youngest scorer in the top European competition. Kun did so in Eindhoven in his competition debut against PSV in the club's third season.
Golden boy
But if something makes clear the expectations that the world of football has set for João Félix was the delivery of the Golden Boy as the best footballer under the age of 21 in a calendar year. The second Atlético player to win the award after precisely the Kun Agüero in 2007, beating Messi and Cesc Fàbregas in the vote. A very prestigious trophy that has been obtained by those who are now the best players in the world.
João Félix so far has been following in the footsteps of Kun Agüero, but now he has before him the most difficult challenge, having the continuity of the Argentine. After those first months of acclimatization under the shadow of Fernando Torres, Something that João Félix was apparently going to have this year with Diego Costa according to what was seen in the preseason but that has not been the case, Kun assumed the team's stripes to become a completely decisive player.
Forming attack partner with Forlán, Agüero finished with 30 goals in 53 games in his second season after leaving an extraordinary U-20 World Cup, a summer tournament to claim that João Félix will not be able to explode due to the postponement of the Euro Cup to 2021 by the Coronavirus. From that second year, Kun was an unstoppable footballer, who commanded in LaLiga and who met all the expectations presented on his arrival until signing for Manchester City.
At Atlético João Félix is expected to continue progressing with Agüero's mirror. Two different players, who when they catch the ball lift the spectator from the seat and generate illusion in the stands. From the Portuguese, he is trusted to work until he becomes the footballer who by quality has already made it clear that he can become.