Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone has informed Spanish radio from Qatar that he’s delighted João Félix was in a position to assist Portugal to an enormous win within the Seleção’s opening sport on the World Cup.
Handed a shock begin by coach Fernando Santos, João performed 88 minutes in Portugal’s wild 3-2 win over Ghana at Stadium 974 on Thursday. The 23-year-old scored his facet’s second objective with a fragile chip past goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi within the 78th minute — his first worldwide objective since September 2020.
Simeone, who has been in Qatar to observe a few of Atlético’s 12 World Cup representatives, informed Onda Cero that the month-long competitors is “best” for a participant of João’s high quality.
“I’m pleased for João,” he mentioned. “This is a perfect event for him: quick, the place you may see the wonder (in his enjoying type), the place you fall in love with gamers like him. He has performed with numerous character when the group wanted him, and he had a job in all three targets.”
Simeone atiende a @ondacero_es sobre España y Joao Félix“Feliz por Joao. Es un torneo best para él, cortito, donde se ve la belleza, donde te enamoran jugadores como él. Ha jugado con mucha personalidad cuando el equipo lo necesitaba y ha participado de los 3 goles” pic.twitter.com/OZLJoaCNpE— Rafa Fernandez (@rafafdezOCR) November 25, 2022
Whether or not Simeone meant to slight João for his performances at membership degree or not, the feedback will immediate extra questions concerning the report signing’s short- and long-term future on the Cívitas Metropolitano. Native media has maintained for weeks (and reiterated on Friday) that João has requested to go away Atlético amid extra difficulties with Simeone — who has implied on many events that the participant’s angle is unprofessional, leaving a lot to be desired.
João himself mentioned final week that he enjoys extra “freedom of motion” with the nationwide group after Portugal brushed apart Nigeria in a pre-World Cup pleasant. He arrange his facet’s opening objective in that sport with the sort of incisive, line-breaking go he hasn’t usually delivered at membership degree.
Atlético will hope João’s inventory continues to rise in Qatar. If there’s no hope of hanging onto him, then it’s in Atleti’s finest curiosity to engineer a bidding conflict among the many continent’s richest golf equipment for his providers. PSG, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, are reportedly among the many most suitors proper now.