The impact called João Félix

More than 4 decades separate the facts. Last Saturday night, João Félix (18 years old) became the youngest Benfica’s player to score in his debut in a derby against Sporting since that, on September 3, 1977, the Genius Fernando Chalana, at the age of 17, scored for the eagles against the rival.

The striker, made in Caixa Futebol Campus entered the field of Luz at 71' and scored at 86', in front of 60 thousand supporters. I shivered, as he said after the end of the match.

It is the quality that matters and it is all the quality that brings the opportunities, as with was told by Rui Vitória. At Benfica since 2015, João Félix has been growing in Seixal, just like other talents, and the numbers of his short career says us that he is a player with a quick impact – the goal scored in the derby promotes the evaluation.

After entering both against Boavista (Liga NOS) and PAOK (CL Play-off), João Félix was also a bet of Benfica for the last minutes of the clash against Sporting. Counting the minutes, takes 32 minutes of utilization and a goal, scored in the third presence.

In the first match with the B team in 2017/18 started on the bench but scored a goal, against Villarreal in the Premier League International Cup.

Also in 2017/18, scored a hat-trick in his first complete match in League II (on January 30, 2018), in a 5-0 victory against Famalicão.

Before that, with the U19 team, in the third match of the Youth League another ball touched the net: it happened away, against Manchester United.

In the last stage of the championship, scored once against V. Setúbal in Round 1 and scored a total of 15 goals.

In 2016/17, in his third match with Benfica B scored his first goal. Entered in the last minutes against Ac.Viseu, away, and easily found the goal track. João Félix was the youngest ever to score in League II, at the age of 17, plus three months and five days.

In that season, scored in the first time he completed an entire match (90m) with the B team, home, against Braga.

Still in 2016/17, scored in his first complete match in the Youth League (his second as a starter): 2-3 in Napoli. 

Already with some minutes played in the Champions League, on last Tuesday (August 21) against PAOK at Estádio da Luz, João Félix is the 10^th player who came from the B team, called by Rui Vitória, up to the millionaire competition, after Gedson, Rúben Dias, Nélson Semedo, Gonçalo Guedes, Renato Sanches, Lindelof, João Carvalho, Diogo Gonçalves and José Gomes.

Text: João Sanches

Pics: Isabel Cutileiro and João Paulo Trindade / SL Benfica