"He was destroying everyone” - Guti claims he urged Real Madrid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate in 2017
Former Real Madrid midfielder Hugo Guti has claimed he urged the club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Joao Felix back in 2017. The Spaniard witnessed the young forward tear things up in the Youth League and felt he'd be a good signing for Los Blancos.
Like Ronaldo, Felix commanded a lot of attention in Portugal while progressing through the ranks at Benfica. He produced a series of eye-catching displays while representing the Portuguese outfit in the Youth League before debuting for the senior team.
The attacker became a top target for several big clubs across Europe following his brilliant exploits in the 2018-2019 campaign. He bagged 20 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances across competitions for Benfica that season.
As per Madridxtra on X, Guti revealed he recommended Felix to Real Madrid shortly before Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in the summer of 2018.
“I told Real Madrid to keep track of Joao Felix in 2017. He was ridiculous in Youth League, he was destroying everyone,” he said.
Despite the Spaniard's recommendation, Los Blancos didn't sign the attacker. Eventually, their local rivals Atletico Madrid managed to lure the then-24-year-old to the Wanda Metropolitano in a deal reportedly worth €127 million.
However, he failed to hit the ground running at Atletico, recording 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 appearances in all competitions. After loan stints at Chelsea and Barcelona, Felix is reportedly close to joining the Blues permanently.
Real Madrid start La Liga season with a draw
It wasn't the best of outings for Real Madrid at the weekend. The Spanish giants were held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca in their La Liga opener on Sunday, August 18.
After Rodrygo broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, Vedat Muriqi equalized in the 53rd minute. To make matters worse, the defending champions ended the match with 10 men as Ferland Mendy was sent off late on (90+7').
Real Madrid will next face Real Valladolid on August 25.