Former Real Madrid winger Rafael van der Vaart has labeled Portuguese starlet Joao Felix's move to Atletico Madrid as a mistake . The young striker has so far enjoyed a relatively poor spell with Los Rojiblancos and was in the squad when the side over the weekend as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to their cross-town rivals.
Still ranked as one of the top emerging youth stars in football, Felix completed a sensational £113 million ($148 million) move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid last summer to become the most-expensive Portuguese player in history. His fate was set after his 20 goals and 11 assists in all club competitions last season, convinced Diego Simeone of his prowess. However, the player is yet to replicate this kind of form since arriving in Spain having managed just four goals and two assists in 24 appearances.
To ex-Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart, there is no doubt about the talent of the 2019 Golden Boy. Nevertheless, the former Dutch international has attributed the youngster's non-performance to the style of play of Atletico Madrid and questioned his decision to opt in favor of a move to the rivals of his former club.
"Atletico play in a very compact manner with a heavy focus on defending well and attacking on the counter," he told AS.
"Felix, I feel, is working at the wrong club under the wrong coach.
"He is a fine player but he's at the wrong club. When they signed the Portuguese striker I felt that they would try and embark on a different brand of playing, but that's far from the case.
"I understand that winning is important but when you have a talented forward like him, you have to cater to the style of play that suits his needs."
So far, Atletico Madrid has struggled to find its feet in La Liga, winning just nine of the 22 games played while losing four and drawing the remaining nine. The club now sits sixth on the table and are three points behind Champions League-chasing Sevilla in fourth position.
