Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix has been talking about their upcoming Champions League face-off with Manchester United later this month.
In a star-studded side, the Portuguese forward is one of Atletico’s fiercest threats when United take on Diego Simeone’s side in the last-16 of the competition.
However, it bodes well that Atleti have struggled domestically this season and we are not facing one of Simeone’s greatest sides, which has offered up a poor defence to the La Liga title. They are currently sat in fifth position — 16 points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
Felix is relishing the opportunity to come up against some of his international colleagues when Atleti visit Old Trafford, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot all starring under Ralf Rangnick.
“It is very good to play against your friends,” Felix told The Athletic.
“It is always fun, like we are playing in the garden. With Bruno, we exchanged messages when the draw was made.
“Bruno is a very, very good player. It is very easy to play with him. When he has the ball, he always chooses the best option, to give you a chance to score. That is why he gets a lot of assists.
“Cristiano is a role model for us all in the national team, so he gives us a lot of good advice, and we like to listen.”
Felix makes an interesting point about how Ronaldo is seen as a role model amongst the young players at Portugal. We can only hope it’s the same at United, with the vast majority of our younger players at least because it will pay off in years to come.
The youth players should be acting like sponges around Ronaldo — but maybe not when he storms off down the tunnel after matches without acknowledging the United faithful.
Ronaldo is one of Felix’s biggest influences.
“(I liked to watch) Kaka, Cristiano and Messi for all that they do,” the Atleti star added.
“And Neymar, too, the way he plays, the way he dribbles, the way he has fun with the ball. That was always a player I liked to watch. I would just watch games because of him.
“I always liked to go past defenders. It is a great way to play. When I can do it, I try it. The fans enjoy it.”
With this felix playing style it is very similiar with manchester city , the best thing for him is to go to manchester city.