'We are not Messi' - Kyle Walker DESTROYS Chelsea flop

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 1 Apr 2025 08:10 BST
• 5 min read

News

Kyle Walker tore into AC Milan teammate Joao Felix during their team's 2-1 defeat to Napoli on Sunday. "We are not Messi," the England star sniped.

Felix has been an unmitigated disaster since joining Milan on loan from Chelsea in January.

READ MORE: Joao Felix transfer announced by agent as Osimhen deal falls into place

Current ETV

João Félix

F (L), M (C)

Milan

João Félix

F (L), M (C)

Milan

€32.9M

ETV Range

€29.6M - €36.2M

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And he delivered another dismal performance on Sunday as Milan lost 2-1 at Scudetto challengers Napoli.

With Milan trailing 2-0 at half time, Walker was caught on camera laying into Felix as the players emerged from the dressing room for the second half.

What did Walker say?

"Pass the ball. We are not Messi," Walker shouted as if to suggest that Felix was being too selfish.

Walker's words had little effect on Felix's performance as he was substituted 10 minutes later.

Milan lost another game and now find themselves in ninth position with eight games of the season remaining. They have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League in what has been a season to forget.

Felix will certainly return to Chelsea at the end of the season when his loan expires.

The former wonderkid was aiming to kickstart his career at Milan after failed spells at Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea but after a bright debut his loan move has since been a disaster.

Felix completed a Deadline Day loan transfer to Milan on February 3, with no option to buy.

READ MORE: Champions League top scorers 2024/25

The 25-year-old made a bright start at San Siro by scoring a delightful dink on his debut in the Coppa Italia win over Roma.

There was immediate excitement in Milan at the prospect of Felix finally fulfilling his potential in Italy.

He has since played 10 matches, including seven starts, without scoring or assisting and he has been widely panned in the media and by supporters for his performances.

Why Chelsea offloaded Felix

Chelsea decided to offload Felix in January after a disappointing season at Stamford Bridge.

The 25-year-old joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid for a whopping €52 million in August, with the Blues only agreeing a deal in order to ensure Conor Gallagher moved in the opposite direction.

However, Felix mustered three Premier League starts, amid competition from Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.

As a result both player and club decided that a move away in January would be the best solution. But it has not worked out.

Joao Felix career

Felix burst onto the scene as a teenager with Benfica and was considered as one of the most exciting youngsters in world football.

This led to Atletico Madrid splashing out €126 million for Felix in 2019, which made him the fourth most expensive player of all time.

However, Felix struggled badly at Atletico to live up to his price tag. He didn’t benefit from Diego Simeone’s defensive style of play, and slowly fell out of favour. He managed just 34 goals in 131 games for the club.

He was loaned out to Chelsea and Barcelona in successive seasons, where he struggled to impress.

Despite this, Chelsea still decided to bring him back permanently last summer.

Once again, though, Felix failed to make the grade and managed one goal in 20 Premier League appearances.

He has won a Portuguese Primeira Liga, Spanish La Liga and a UEFA Nations League during his career.

He has been capped 45 times by Portugal, scoring nine goals.