Analyzing Joao Felix's hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt
Predicting the success of a teenager is usually not easy. There are several factors to have in mind, and it’s a formula that is very far from just evaluating talent and quality. From the opportunities given to the way a young footballer adapts to the professional level, there are a lot of dependent variables on his way to success.
For the last 6 months, the world has been having the opportunity to watch the rise of a star. Every weekend, every game, there are less and less doubts that João Félix will make it to the top of the football world, something that for the last years was always talked in Portugal, but the real confirmation only came this year.
In his first full-time season in Benfica’s main team, he has had total responsibility under Bruno Lage’s system's success. Playing as a second striker, the young player who played for the main rivals FC Porto during his youth career, has a very important role in Benfica’s offensive strategy.
Félix has shown impressive qualities in exploring spaces between lines, holding the ball and waiting for support from his teammates in order to create opportunities and have more numbers against the opposition in specific areas of the field. Adding to his superior knowledge of the game and his technical abilities, the 19-year-old has an unlikely and singular finishing capacity for such a creative player.
With obvious differences in their career achievements and longevity, Félix is usually compared to the Portuguese legend Rui Costa, who also played in Benfica, but the common opinion is that the teenager has a natural ability to score goals inside him, apart from the creative side that the A.C Milan legend had in his locker.
In front of the goal, he is strong with either foot, shooting with pace or placement; he is a lethal player. Another interesting fact about Félix is that he has a very interesting vertical jump and impulsion for a player of his height (5’11). Having already netted fifteen goals in the league this season, he scored in every competition the “Eagles” played this season, except the Champions League, where he only had 77 minutes played.
The last game against Eintracht Frankfurt showcased the plentiful skills that Félix has been sharing with the Portuguese fans and torturing his opponents with. In one of the highest stages of European football, Félix revealed his ability to control all the offensive movements of his team in a game that could really challenge Benfica’s building up processes and their possession skills.
It was obvious for the people who watched the game that Félix had something different; the spaces he explored to receive the ball, his body positioning to get the best first touch in every play, the movements he made as a “false 9” to attract defenders and create space between Frankfurt’s back three defensive line.
Against a team known for a high pressing system and tight spaces in defense, Félix was very important in the possession of the ball, which had to be worked very well in order to go through Frankfurt’s pressing lines. Showing up between lines, turning and facing defenders, creating superiority in numbers in the midfield and interchanging with Gedson Fernandes, he allowed the other young Portuguese midfielder to show up in advanced areas. This was how different opportunities were created, such as the penalty scored by Félix in the first half.
As he has been scouted by every possible big-5 European club, Félix’s exhibition against Frankfurt put him in a position where it is hard to not have heard of him in football. Showing up on big occasions is a key factor for world-class players, and Félix has shown that he is capable of it. He scored two goals against Sporting CP this season in four derbies, one against FC Porto in “O Clássico”, and now 3 goals in Europa League.
His transfer to a bigger club is inevitable, even though there are still hopes for Benfica’s managers that the youngster will stay an extra year in Portugal. Opposite of what happened to the current stars of Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva, João Félix has everything to create an impact while still playing in Portugal, something he has already started. CR7 left when he was nineteen, while Bernardo never played a game in the Portuguese League.
Staying one more year in Portugal could be beneficial for everyone. For the player, who would have plenty of playing time and highlights in a EUROs year, helping him to guarantee a spot in the national team’s list. For Benfica, who could benefit from an excellent player and could increase his financial value for some extra millions in a transfer. For the prospective clubs, who could avoid a “Renato Sanches case” by buying a young kid too soon and not letting him grow with minutes, even if it means paying some extra millions.
As a common opinion of almost every sports commentator in Portugal, Félix and his 1999 generation have the chance to create a golden era in Portuguese football history. There is excitement and a lot of hype about the player, but what he does on the field gives us no chance to deny it; if his evolution keeps flowing the way it has been this year, Félix is a future Ballon d’Or contender.