The night Griezmann signed for Atlético Simeone smiled from ear to earto. He had gotten the footballer he wanted and he was the icing on the red-and-white cake. But later some made a gesture of concern drop: the arrival of the French could cause some problem for João Félix in a season that should be key to the growth of the footballer Portuguese. Griezmann could outshine his teammate. João Félix made his best game of the season against Barcelona and one of the best in his time as rojiblanco.
João Félix has not had an easy start to the season. He did not participate in the first three days due to the operation on his right ankle that he suffered at the end of the European Championship. His intention was to get to the start of the championship, but no one at the club wanted to force his recovery. His first league match was against Espanyol, where he played the last half hour, and later against Athletic, where he was sent off. He was eager, hungry, but that set made him miss the games against Getafe and Alavés and against Barcelona came the peak of the exercise.
In the Champions League he did play against Porto and Milan. Close to turning 22s, everyone in the Atlético dressing room was delighted with João Félix's success against Barça. He is a player different from the rest, with a quality above average, but he lacks regularity. That it has that regularity is the great objective of all. The footballer pointed out at a press conference that last year he was already acquiring it when he had his ankle problems.
El Cholo has a wide range of forwards, from Luis Suárez to Correa passing through Griezmann and Cunha. Since his expulsion, Simeone has continued to trust him. The coach said that he was not worried that this play could have an emotional impact on the striker. And that faith in the tip begins to bear fruit. Now João Félix is not going with Portugal and Simeone will have time to work with him in this break. But the coach has managed to offer his best version at a key moment of the season and with everything to achieve.