by With victory comes vindication, redemption and revenge which form the basis of so many stories, especially in sport – and certainly this Sunday in the game they are trying to rebrand the “Super Duel”, a cousin of the clásico. When João Félix scored his first goal in 12 games to beat Porto on Tuesday, putting Barcelona ahead of Group H and easing fears of another early European exit, he celebrated by kissing his badge he spent 16 times. Five days later, he faces the club he still belongs to, Atlético Madrid, in the league, trying to avoid a defeat that would also feel a bit like an exit, even this early. “If he kissed the crest this time,” said Atlético president Enrique Cerezo, “it’s because he feels Barcelona.”
Or maybe he has a point to prove, every goal a rebellion, a message to both clubs: the one he owns and the one he hopes will make. Cerezo certainly had his tongue wedged in his cheek, noting mischievously that “many players kiss badges”. After four frustrating seasons at Atlético and one aborted escape bid with Chelsea, on the last day of the summer window Félix left Atlético and joined Barcelona on a one-year loan. In July, he announced: “I would love to go to Barcelona; That’s what I’ve wanted since I was a kid.”
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That was the kind of comment guaranteed to piss off supporters, which was part of the point. Félix was desperate to leave, looking for a place that suited his style, somewhere he could be happy, himself. The problem is that getting there is one thing, staying is another. There is no purchase clause, a permanent solution is far from simple. Atlético coach Diego Simeone said he hoped Félix would do well: that way, his sale price would be higher or he would bring back a better player. No one doubts that Simeone prefers the result; as for the latter, although the higher the Portuguese’s level, the more likely Barcelona are to want him, the less likely they will be able to afford him.
Moreover, Shimeone’s words were not entirely honest enough to be suspected; there was tension, a feeling that this had become personal. Not just with the manager either, but some staff members too. Everyone knew he couldn’t go on. Simeone has said that Félix is not falling for Atlético’s “idiosyncrasies”; Félix made it clear that football is different in Barcelona. The temptation at the moment is to answer it: yes, it’s worse. They are level on points, but Atlético have a game in hand, have scored more goals, won 18 games in a row at home and are an increasingly determined title contender; In contrast, Barcelona are holding their own with a seemingly loosening grip, and a win on Sunday is more important than ever.
For Félix, he scored three times in the Champions League, the latest medal and the wild celebration. He has one in the league. His first few games were a revelation, like releasing a man, one who finally found his place; Barcelona supporters could talk about rescuing him. There is still a glimpse of the player he can be, a desire to show that to Barcelona and remind Atlético of what they would not see or could not attend, a sense of vindication overall. And yet that momentum has slowed as Barcelona struggle to convince, their results better than the performances.
This game may help define their seasons; there are many reasons for it and that is only one of them, although Félix was in charge of the construction. When asked, Atlético captain Antoine Griezmann said: “When you come here, you know more or less what the coach is, what the team is, and you adapt or it doesn’t end. There were moments when João did very well, when he worked well, but you have to be consistent and maybe there was a time when he got tired [of it]he didn’t see himself there anymore so he pushed to leave, and the club tried to find a way out for him.”
“I don’t agree,” replied Félix. “He has his opinion and I’m not going to comment. There are things that didn’t go well but it’s not just the person’s fault.”
Every game gives one side a chance to be right, no more than this. The better Atlético have played without Félix, the bigger it has been and, while it has been easy, their collective displays have not improved last season when he went to London. The better Félix plays without Atlético, the bigger they were. The truth is both and neither. Either way, they are better apart. The recriminations are still there – one columnist in Catalonia suggested it would be better to kiss the crest before the Barcelona fans do theirs before Simeone – but it looks like they will be forced to face each other again.
Griezmann knows there could be a way back. He also left Atlético for Barcelona, perhaps the only place in the world where there was a player who does better than he does, but now he is back and he has won them again. “No” he took was the best player in La Liga in 2023, a mile ahead of the rest, a man who finished last season on 15 goals and 16 goals in the league, and who he already has 13 goals this season, who are both the all-time top scorer, leading them in every game.
Well, that and looking back at the deal that was there in the century, Atlético selling him for €125m and buying him back for €20m; the patience to play only 30 minutes in the game as Atlético pushes Barcelona’s hand; to keep the humility quiet, not to complain; and the fuel that provides the search for forgiveness. “When everyone did not agree with him coming back, I was convinced that he was born to play for Atlético,” Simeone said. “It grew, it went, it came back, returning to a place where people were uncomfortable because of what it left, and it turned around. It will be in the history of the club for sure.”
Félix, it seems, will not. Especially because neither party wants to be in the moment. Griezmann has proven that you can bounce back, you can make amends, you can still be the best. But it is an exceptional case and there is little doubt that Félix and Atlético would have been better off avoiding a return, for the good of all. It’s a good place to start on Sunday night, when the third place meets the fourth and meets the club that even he wishes they weren’t.
