How Joao Felix became football's £171MILLION misfit: Berated by his own team-mates in latest miserable loan spell, unwanted by Chelsea after shock return and struggles in Spain

Joao Felix was erstwhile touted arsenic football's biggest prospect. After bursting onto the country successful Portugal, it wasn't agelong earlier comparisons with his chap countryman Cristiano Ronaldo were made.

Atletico Madrid surely believed the hype, forking retired £114m to motion Felix from Benfica successful 2019 - the aforesaid twelvemonth helium won the Golden Boy grant - making him the astir costly teen ever successful the process.

But, a small nether six years later, Felix's vocation lone appears to beryllium going 1 mode aft hitting a caller debased connected Sunday.

The 25-year-old guardant - who has outgo clubs £171m successful transportation fees - was progressive successful a heated speech with England's Kyle Walker arsenic AC Milan emerged from the passageway for the 2nd fractional of their Serie A clash with Napoli.

Milan were 2-0 down astatine the time, and Walker pulled nary punches arsenic helium told Felix: 'Pass the ball, we are not Messi!'

The brutal proposal appeared to autumn connected deaf ears arsenic Felix was hauled disconnected conscionable 10 minutes later, with Milan going connected to suffer 2-1 successful Naples.

That incidental sums up Felix's miserable spell successful Milan since helium joined the Italian giants connected indebtedness from Chelsea successful February.

Felix scored connected his Milan debut successful the Coppa Italia, but has not recovered the nett again. 

It did not instrumentality agelong for the Italian media to crook connected him, arsenic helium was singled retired for disapproval aft a 2-1 decision by Bologna successful precocious February.

After giving him a 4.5 lucifer rating, Corriere della Serra wrote connected Felix's performance: 'The worst connected the field. You can't spot him, you can't perceive him. Never a play, adjacent his ain players debar him.'

Italian writer Fabio Ravezzani added connected X: 'Everything is going incorrect astatine Milan. Joao Felix is ​​as handsome arsenic helium is useless, Malick Thiaw is nary amended than and taking disconnected Rafael Leao, unless helium is injured, is foolish.'

It had been hoped that Felix's impermanent power to Milan - which included a £5m indebtedness interest - could get his vocation backmost connected way aft underwhelming astatine Chelsea.

The Blues intelligibly saw imaginable erstwhile they archetypal signed Felix successful a £9m indebtedness woody backmost successful January 2023.

But helium was sent disconnected connected his debut against Fulham, and finished the run with 4 goals successful 20 appearances. It was not capable to gain him a imperishable move.

Yet Chelsea returned for Felix the pursuing twelvemonth aft the Portuguese prima had shown immoderate promising signs during a indebtedness spell astatine Barcelona and paid £43m to bring him to Stamford Bridge connected a six-year deal.

It seemed a unusual determination connected Chelsea's portion to necktie down Felix down to specified a semipermanent contract, and little than six months aboriginal helium was sent connected his mode to Milan aft failing to interruption into Enzo Maresca's starting XI consistently.

The Italian brag insisted Felix was conscionable unlucky to find himself down Cole Palmer successful the pecking order, but Chelsea did not effort peculiarly hard to support him astatine the commencement of the year. 

Indeed, failing to person managers has go a inclination for Felix implicit the years.

When Atletico splashed the currency to instrumentality him to Spain successful 2019, it was believed that helium could beryllium the subordinate to adhd stardust to a squad that already had grit and enactment ethic successful abundance nether Diego Simeone.

But things conscionable ne'er clicked for Felix astatine Atletico. He ne'er managed to deed treble figures successful his 4 seasons successful LaLiga, and Simeone raised concerns astir the rising prima backmost successful 2020.

'As good arsenic endowment you request to person commitment,' Simeone explained erstwhile talking astir Felix.

'When a subordinate realises wherefore helium is playing for Atletico past everything comes together.'

Felix would enactment astatine Atletico for different 3 years aft those Simeone remarks, but, successful hindsight, that was arguably the opening of the extremity of their relationship.

Eventually, Simeone mislaid patience with Felix and helium was shipped retired to Chelsea, earlier concisely returning to Spain to play for Barcelona, past backmost to westbound London and yet connected to Milan.

Wherever helium has gone, Felix has proved to beryllium a misfit and helium is erstwhile again stuck successful limbo heading into the summer.

Milan are not expected to widen his enactment beyond the extremity of the season, and it is hard to spot him getting backmost into Maresca's Chelsea team.

A study from Turkish outlet Sport past week claimed his agent, Jorge Mendes, has been successful interaction with Galatasaray implicit a imaginable transfer.

It is understood that Felix would beryllium keen connected the move, and that Chelsea would beryllium improbable to basal successful his way.

But the Blues would beryllium expected to privation adjacent to the £43m they paid for him fixed Felix inactive has 5 years near connected his contract, portion helium besides earns adjacent to £7m-a-year successful wages. Could Galatasaray conscionable those demands?

It has been immoderate autumn from grace for Felix, who was seen arsenic the evident heir to Ronaldo's throne arsenic Portugal's biggest superstar erstwhile helium broke done astatine Benfica.

Instead, helium has lurched from 1 disastrous determination to another, costing clubs a luck on the way.

His vocation is successful information of wholly unravelling, and Felix is moving retired of chances to beryllium helium tin ever go the world-class subordinate helium appeared destined to be.