Joao Félix's jump: a personal trainer in Ibiza, silence in the market and "a calm head"

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Yesterday, a gentleman with sparse gray hair, dressed in sports attire, carefully observed what was happening in field 4 of Cerro del Espino de Majadahonda.

It was just after 9:30 in the morning.

The man crossed his arms and stared at one of

's pupils .

barely blinked so as not to miss any minimal gesture from his son.

Any movement on the pitch by Joao Félix, who exchanged jokes in Portuguese with

, during the morning training session prior to Atlético's third friendly match: the Ramón de Carranza Trophy, against Cádiz (9:00 p.m.).

The previous afternoon, his brother Hugo (18 years old), who wants to follow in his footsteps at Benfica, did not miss a thing.

Last Saturday, in Oslo, Joao played his first minutes against Manchester United since April 17.

A muscle injury (hamstring of the left thigh) separated him from the scene with six decisive games ahead of him, since Atlético still had not closed his ticket for the Champions League.

He came from scoring six goals and giving two assists.

Of being decisive, at last, in a colossal month and a half that coincided with the definitive takeoff of his team at the dawn of that well-known League of 14. They say that Joao would have been available if his teammates had risked his skin in those last two days , against Sevilla and Real Sociedad.

He even wanted to sign up for that end of the party, but Simeone considered it unnecessary, since the objective had already been met.

There was no reason to force.

That is why he did not play a game again until last Saturday.

It was just over half an hour, but it ended up being crucial.

His was the victory goal, nailing

with a shot from outside the area.

Also a gift that

failed to pocket.

Or an entrance at grass level to recover a ball, a few meters from Simeone.

The Argentine coach's smile sharpened.

A blow at the start of the preseason, in Los Angeles de San Rafael, had delayed the times in the set-up of the Portuguese, absent in the first friendly against Numancia.

In Norway he confirmed what he had hinted at in training.

Griezmann, threat and partner

Joao begins his fourth season at Atlético.

He does it in the middle of an atypical summer for him, since, for the first time (and it is not by chance), his name has not been the subject of rumours.

A year ago, for example, it was an initial request from Barcelona so that the exchange with Griezmann could be possible.

The request was always denied by the rojiblanca noble zone, who personally opted for him, with that resounding payment to Benfica of

.

His connection with the Frenchman, despite the fact that his return stung at first, is not under suspicion.

On the contrary.

The Portuguese has appreciated and put into practice many of his advice.

He has even come to stand up for Antoine in public.

That night in March, at Old Trafford, the shirts were symbolically changed.

Joao, moreover, is convinced that, this time, he can be the team's mast and, moreover, be so regularly.

The same idea that they hold in the offices of the Metropolitan and in the coaching staff.

In a way, that's why every morning of his vacation in Ibiza, at nine o'clock, a physical trainer was waiting for him.

His physical strength has nothing to do with that of the brittle kid who arrived in Madrid in 2019.

A World Cup with Cristiano

During these three courses, injuries have tripped him up.

He has missed up to 31 games due to various ailments, such as that of that battered right ankle that forced him to undergo surgery in 2021 and that would force him to start the course three days late.

And although that last season was, between injuries and sanctions, the one in which he played the fewest minutes as a rojiblanco (1,944 minutes), it also turned out to be the most eloquent about his exorbitant potential and his adaptation to the team

«I arrived young, although I still am, but I grew up a lot.

I am sure that I will grow more.

I have a calm head and when that's the case, things come naturally », she reflected after her exciting half hour in Oslo.

There was not his compatriot

, whose name has splashed the rojiblanca summer table, more because of the need to find a Champions shelter than because of the interest of Atlético.

If everything goes normally, he will coincide (and will fight for a position) with CR in that World Cup in Qatar, the first in his career, where he will have fierce competition (

,

,

...) .

That's what Joao prepares for.

And the first thing, logically, is to be the flag of his team.

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