How Joao Felix has cost Atletico Madrid €9m per La Liga goal
James Shearman
- Updated: 13 Feb 2022 12:13 GMT
- 3 min read
Joao Felix's transfer from Benfica to Atletico Madrid has been nothing short of a disaster.
Felix signed for Los Colchoneros in 2019 for a club-record €126 million (£113m) fee after an impressive debut season in Portugal.
The 22-year-old registered 15 goals and seven assists in 26 Primeira Liga fixtures and was then signed by Diego Simeone as a replacement for Barcelona bound Antoine Griezmann.
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And while the former Benfica star has shown glimpses of his undoubted talent, he has not been able to replicate the influence that Griezmann had on the team, so much so that the Argentine re-signed the Frenchman last summer.
Having scored just 13 La Liga goals in his first two seasons with the club, Felix now finds himself on the substitute's bench more often than not.
Hence, no surprise that the Portugal international is unhappy with life in the Spanish capital.
Plus, his latest comments that there are ''lots of reasons'' behind his team’s current struggles have riled his manager, perhaps to the point of no return.
🗣️ João Félix: "I always try to have as much fun as I can. I like to make other people enjoy my football."@joaofelix70 | @atletienglish | #UCL pic.twitter.com/u4e3NMeAix
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 10, 2022
In fairness, Simeone's pragmatic style of play makes it difficult to succeed as a forward, though it seems Felix doesn't have what it takes to produce at the level of Griezmann and Diego Costa in years gone by.
Age is on Felix's side, and he did contribute to Atletico's La Liga title last season, but it appears the hierarchy at the Wanda Metropolitano have already seen enough.
What was Felix's overall cost to Atletico?
Felix cost Atletico €126 million in a transfer fee, while he is reportedly on an annual salary of €3.5m (€67,000 per week).
He has been in Madrid for two-and-a-half years, so a conservative estimate is that he has cost the club around €135m during his time there.
That is a conservative estimate as he would have been on a number of bonus incentives and a signing-on fee.
Using the €135m amount, we can determine that Felix has cost Atletico €9m per goal scored in La Liga (15 goals in 73 appearances).
For appearances in all competitions, he has cost:
€1.38m per game played for Atletico (98 appearances)
€6.1m per goal scored (22 goals in 98 appearances)
€12.2m per assist (11 assists in 98 appearances)
