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Atletico Madrid have announced the signing of Joao Felix from Benfica for a reported fee of around €126m.
The Portuguese teenager has been a hot property among the European giants. Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain had all made enquiries for the 19-year-old youngster; Liverpool even had a bid rejected for the young striker last summer.
However, Atletico was the first club which agreed to pay Benfica's asking price for their superstar, €126m including add-ons. This huge fee makes him the fifth-most expensive player ever in football, though some sources consider it to be fourth-most expensive signing in football history.
Here's a brief look at his career so far.
Early days
Felix joined the Porto academy in 2008 he spent seven years in Porto before being released by the club. In 2015 he joined Benfica's youth team. He made his debut in 2016 for the Benfica Reserves.He went on to make 30 appearances for Benfica B from 2016 to 2018, scoring seven goals during that time.
Felix made his international debut with Portugal U-18 in 2017. He then went on to represent Portugal U-19 and Portugal U-21 within next one year.
Benfica 2018-19
While being part of the youth setup at the club, Felix was considered one of the most gifted players. He made his debut for the senior team in the 2018-19 season.
As per whoscored.com, he made 32 appearances for Benfica, scored 16 goals and assisting 7 times. He averaged 1.1 key passes per game and had a pass success rate of 76% last season as Benfica claimed the Primeira Liga.
His most notable performance came against Frankfurt in the Europa League where he netted a hat-trick, becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League.
Portugal
Felix went on to make his international debut with the senior Portugal team last season. He made one appearance for Portugal in the Nations League fixture against Switzerland.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have reportedly signed Felix as a replacement for Barcelona-bound Antoine Griezmann. He may emerge as a key figure in Diego Simeone's side next season.
