Football
Atletico Madrid Fans Vandalise Joao Felix Plaque Following Permanent Chelsea Switch
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished22 Aug 2024
Angry Atletico Madrid fans have vandalised a Joao Felix plaque outside their Metropolitano stadium following the Portuguese forward’s permanent move to Chelsea.
Having spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan at Stamford Bridge, Joao Felix has permanently joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, and fans of the La Liga side haven’t taken the news well.
Felix, who became Atleti’s most expensive player ever when he joined from Benfica for £115 million in 2019, has penned a seven-year contract with the Blues for an initial fee of around £42 million.
Heading the other way was Chelsea academy graduate and England international Conor Gallagher, who completed his move to the Spanish capital for a fee reported to be in the region of £34 million.
In response to Felix’s exit, supporters who were at Gallagher’s unveiling at the Metropolitano on Wednesday night defaced the Portugal international’s hall of fame plaque, with it being pictured covered in dirt, empty drink containers, cigarettes, plastic bags, and an abusive message was also written above it in chalk.
La placa de Joao Felix en el Metropolitano @ESPNFC @ESPNDeportes pic.twitter.com/l5WqYQYSTl
— Rodrigo Fáez 🕶🐝 (@RodrigoFaez) August 21, 2024
Despite arriving with high hopes, with many tipping the forward to become one of the world’s best, Felix’s time at Atleti will mainly be remembered for its inconsistency.
The 24-year-old struggled to get to grips with Diego Simeone’s style of play, which led to him joining Chelsea on loan in January 2023, before he joined Barcelona on a season-long loan for the 2023/24 season.
Felix’s ‘Walk of Centenary Players’ plaque, which is awarded to players who have made more than 100 appearances for the club, isn’t the first to be defaced by angry Atleti fans, with Thibaut Courtois’ and Antoine Griezmann’s also previously being targeted.
When Will Felix Make His Second Chelsea Debut?
Unfortunately for Felix, he’ll have to watch from the sidelines when the Blues take on Servette in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off round tie on Thursday, with head coach Enzo Maresca confirming that he is “not on the list” for the fixture.
This means that the Portuguese forward, who Maresca says “can play as an attacking midfielder, No.9, as a winger”, will have to wait until at least Sunday to make his second debut for the club as they take on Wolves at Molineux.
If he fails to make an appearance in that clash, he will surely have the opportunity to strut his stuff in the return leg against Servette next Thursday, due to be played at the Stade de Genéve in Geneva.