Joao Félix has struggled to maintain the promising start he had while donning the AC Milan jersey. Much like his stints at Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, and to a lesser extent FC Barcelona, the forward has yet to find his niche. “Everything is going wrong at Milan. Joao Félix is as beautiful as he is useless.” This blunt assessment came from Fabio Ravezzani, director of Telelombardia, following AC Milan’s 2-1 defeat to Torino last Saturday. The 25-year-old couldn’t prevent the rossoneri from suffering yet another setback in Serie A, especially after their elimination from the Champions League at the hands of feyenoord . Although he managed to score in his debut for AC Milan after joining during the final days of the winter transfer window, the player from Viseu has gradually faded from the spotlight and reverted to his more traditional form—an aesthetically pleasing yet inconsequential player. “I was surprised that (Sergio Conceiçao) left Joao Félix on the pitch for the entire match, one of the worst players. It was exactly the opposite of what a competitive player should be,” lamented journalist Giuseppe Pastore on YouTube. Last weekend’s criticism is far from the first that Félix has faced. In fact, during their analysis of the Champions League, Corriere dello Sport already took aim at the Portuguese forward. “More shadows than lights. Should he be playing all the time even when his performances are unconvincing?” pondered the publication. Unfortunately for Félix, this scenario is nothing new. In various forms and intensities, he has experienced this feeling at Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, and FC Barcelona. Promising beginnings have been followed by long periods of mediocrity. The season is still ongoing, and there remains time for him to turn things around, but for now, it seems he has yet again failed to find the right environment to fully showcase his talents in Milan.
