Joao Felix Opens Up on Club vs Country Priorities After €126m Move to Atletico Madrid
New Atletico Madrid signing Joao Felix has revealed that he would prefer to win the Ballon d'Or, Champions League and La Liga in one season as opposed to the World Cup.
The 19-year-old joined Los Rojiblancos for an eye-watering €126m this summer, after an outstanding season in Liga NOS. The forward was directly involved in 22 goals in 26 games in the Primeira Liga last season for Benfica, helping stake a claim as one of the best young talents in world football.
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The Portuguese wonderkid has had to respond to question marks over the fee that Atletico paid for his services, telling B/R Football (via Marca) that: "I don't care how much [my transfer] cost. It's my job and I have to know how to manage it."
Felix went on to make an interesting claim regarding his quest for trophies at Atleti, adding: "I would prefer to win the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League and La Liga Santander in one year than a World Cup."
The teenager's claims come as quite a surprise, considering how highly most footballers rank World Cup success in their career. Winning the World Cup is often considered the highest accolade in world football, but Felix is clearly keen to reaffirm that this is not the case with himself.
His international team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is in contention for the Ballon d'Or once again, after a strong first season with Juventus and a string of fine performances with the national side.
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Felix, meanwhile, will first need to put in consistent performances that will begin to reflect the price Atleti paid for him.
There is no denying the ability of the forward, but it would most certainly take a lot for the player to propel the club to Champions League and La Liga glory whilst also claiming the Ballon d'Or – although two first two would often lead to the third.
Atletico Madrid take on Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup early on Saturday, with Felix expected to feature. He was forced off after less than half an hour on his debut due to a hip problem, but the attacker may very well play a role in what is expected to be a hotly contested Madrid derby.
