It's no secret that Joao Felix has handed in a transfer request to leave Atletico Madrid.
With the January transfer window now officially open, every big European club would love to
have him on their roster.
And after loads of conjecture it looks like he is joining the London blues, Chelsea.
He might be the fifth-most expensive football transfer or one of the highest-paid teenagers
of his time.
But there are some lesser-known facts about the Portuguese star that you might want to
know.
Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Joao Felix:
He turned down an offer from Manchester City.
Atletico was not the only club that bid for Joao back in the day.
Guardiola was also competing for the star-studded forward.
But Simeone had the last laugh.
The Mirror reported that a leaked phone call revealed that Joao rejected Jorge Mendes’s
offer to go to Manchester City.
Mendes told Felix:
“The best thing for you would be Manchester City because of Guardiola.
It will be the most expensive transfer in Portuguese football.”
But Joao had other plans.
Not sure why he had chosen Simeone over Guardiola.
He might be regretting that mistake now.
His favorite Premier League club
You might be wondering if Joao Felix rejected Manchester City, he might be a United fan.
Yes, you are right.
But wait a minute, not Manchester United.
You’ll be surprised to know that Joao Felix’s favorite English side is Leeds United.
What are the odds?
Like seriously, the last time Leeds won the English League, Joao wasn’t even born.
He appears to be a Marcelo Bielsa fan, who was until recently Leeds United manager and
made many neutral fans, especially after taking Leeds into the Premier League after 16 long
years.
Can’t be 100 percent sure about the reason.
Only Joao can explain his likeness to Leeds United.
His teammates used to call him a €120 million boy.
Joao Felix was phenomenal for Benfica.
He helped them win the league title and was awarded the Golden Boy award.
But did you know that despite having a market value of 31 million Euros at the time, his
Benfica co-players called him a €120 million boy?
Yep, it’s true.
All because of his €120 million release clause.
And the boy didn’t disappoint his teammates when Atletico signed him for a whopping €126
million, that too by bypassing Pep Guardiola.
More about Manchester City in a minute.
He converted his parent’s living room into a football pitch
Like every other football genius, Joao began tapping his foot on the ball as soon as he
learned how to walk.
His mother told that he was addicted to the sport.
He was so much into the game that he used pillows to convert the living room into a
pitch.
Later he was accompanied by his younger brother Hugo, who was also a passionate football fan.
Well, now we know how Joao is so good at one-to-one football.
Maybe, living room tricks came in handy.
Can’t say anything about what happened to breakable items in the room.
3 people to go to dinner with
If Leeds United wasn’t easy for you to digest, this might also shake you a little bit.
Well, Joao once jumped onto the bandwagon of ‘Ask me anything’.
One of his fans asked him about his three dream dinner guests.
Guess what?
His girlfriend’s name was not on that list.
Will talk about his relationship full of scandals in a while.
But you’ll be amazed to know that Neymar, Lebron James, and Ben Simmons made it to Joao’s
candlelight dinner wishlist.
Well, he is a basketball fan so the last two names are justified.
Not sure about Neymar though.
He was part of the Adidas GMR campaign to keep fans active during COVID-19
Joao is an ADIDAS-sponsored player and wears these spectacular Adidas X Speedportal+.
But he has been into these lucrative endorsements and deals for a couple of years.
In 2020, Joao was the brand ambassador of The Adidas GMR campaign.
It was a fascinating campaign where shoes were made of sensors that measured kicks,
shot power, and running distance.
Felix challenged the fans to a power contest where fans played in real life and calculated
their points on the FIFA Mobile app.
It was a smart move as it kept ballers active during the COVID-19 Lockdown.
He was rejected for having a slight frame.
Well, endorsement deals are pouring money into his bank account.
But he has also had his share of harsh times.
His youth club Porto released him for having a very thin frame.
Managers thought that tough defenders would blow him away.
But Felix has defied all the odds.
With a strict regimen and a high-protein diet, he has packed some muscle.
Currently, he’s 5’11 and weighs 70kg.
He might not be at the fitness level of Cr7, but still, he’s good to go.
Puberty definitely hit him hard.
He idolizes Cr7
Speaking of Ronaldo, he’s an absolute beast.
Anyone who’s hailing from Portugal is his hardcore fan.
And Joao Felix is no different.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of my childhood heroes, an example to follow in many different
ways.
When I was a kid, he was already the best player in the world.
He’s invincible in the history of football.”
When he was asked if Ronaldo has given any advice.
To which he said: “ Yes, a lot.
He gave me the advice to be calm, to do my football.”
Since Cr7 has now retired.
All eyes are on Felix on how he continues Ronaldo’s legacy.
He once celebrated with his ballboy brother.
What are the chances?
From playing in the living room to celebrating together in a football match.
But dreams do come true.
During a game against Setubal, the then-Benfica star Joao bagged a stunning top-corner goal.
And he quickly went towards his ball-boy brother Hugo, who was standing right behind the goal.
He hugged him and patted his cap.
Indeed an emotional bear hug and one of the cutest moments ever on the field.
His relationship is full of scandals
His chemistry with his brother seems that all of his relationships are smooth sailing.
But this might not be the case.
He’s in a relationship with the Instagram model Magui Corceiro.
But the two of them.
Ahh, how do we say that?
First, she accidentally shared an X-rated image on her social media, which many think
was of Felix.
And now rumors suggest that she’s cheating on him after a blurry kissing video got viral
between Sporting star Pedro Porro and her.
Something’s fishy Ahh.
Okay Okay.
That's more than enough controversies and information for one day.
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think.
So do head to the comments section and let us know your thoughts.