João Félix facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Félix and the second or paternal family name is Sequeira.

Quick facts for kids
João Félix

Félix warming up for an Atlético Madrid match in 2019

Personal information

Full name

João Félix Sequeira

Date of birth

10 November 1999 (age 25)

Place of birth

Viseu, Portugal

Height

1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)

Position(s)

Attacking midfielder, forward

Team information

Current team

Chelsea

Youth career

2007–2008

Os Pestinhas

2008–2015

Porto

2014–2015

→ Padroense (loan)

2015–2018

Benfica

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2016–2018

Benfica B

(7)

2018–2019

Benfica

(15)

2019–2024

Atlético Madrid

(25)

2023

→ Chelsea (loan)

(4)

2023–2024

→ Barcelona (loan)

(7)

2024–

Chelsea

(1)

2025

→ AC Milan (loan)

(2)

International career^‡

2017

Portugal U18

(2)

2018

Portugal U19

(0)

2017–2018

Portugal U21

(4)

2019–

Portugal

(9)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing Portugal
UEFA Nations League
Winner	2019 Portugal
Winner	2025 Germany

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:25, 24 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:15, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

João Félix Sequeira (born 10 November 1999) is a professional footballer from Portugal. He plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Premier League club Chelsea. He also plays for the Portugal national team.

Félix started his training at Porto's youth academy. In 2015, he moved to their rivals, Benfica. He began playing for Benfica's reserve team a year later. By 2018, he was promoted to the first team at just 17 years old. He helped Benfica win the league title in his first season with them. In 2019, when he was 19, Félix joined Atlético Madrid. This was a huge transfer, costing €126 million (£113 million). It was one of the most expensive football transfers ever. With Atlético, he won the 2020–21 La Liga title. Later, he played on loan for Chelsea and Barcelona. In 2024, he returned to Chelsea permanently.

Félix also played for Portugal's youth teams, including under-18, under-19, and under-21. He played his first senior game for Portugal in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. His team won the first edition of this competition. He has also played for Portugal in major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2024.

Club Career Highlights

Starting His Football Journey

João Félix began playing football at a club called Os Pestinhas in 2007. A year later, at age eight, he joined the youth teams of FC Porto. Moving to Porto was tough because he had to travel a lot between his hometown, Viseu, and Porto. When he was 12, he moved away from his family to live closer to Porto's training grounds. He once thought about quitting football because he wasn't playing much, but his dad encouraged him to keep going.

In 2014, Félix left Porto and joined Benfica in 2015, when he was 15. Before joining Benfica, he spent a season on loan at Padroense.

Time at Benfica

Playing for the Youth Team

Félix made his professional debut for Benfica's reserve team at age 16. This was on 17 September 2016. He played 13 matches and scored three goals in his first season. He even scored a hat-trick (three goals in one game) in January 2018. During this time, he also played in the 2016–17 UEFA Youth League. He helped Benfica reach the final, scoring six goals in the tournament.

Joining the First Team and Winning the League

For the 2018–19 season, Félix was moved up to Benfica's main team. He played his first game on 18 August. A week later, he scored his first goal in the Primeira Liga. This made him the youngest player to score in the big Lisbon derby match.

When Bruno Lage became the new coach, he started playing Félix more often. Félix played alongside Haris Seferovic in attack. On 11 April 2019, Félix scored another hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League game. He became the youngest player ever to score three goals in that competition. He finished his first season with 20 goals for Benfica. His 15 league goals helped his team win the league title.

Moving to Atlético Madrid

On 3 July 2019, Félix signed a seven-year contract with the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. The transfer fee was €126 million (£113 million). This was one of the highest amounts ever paid for a football player. It was also Benfica's biggest sale and Atlético's most expensive signing. He was given the number 7 shirt, which was previously worn by Antoine Griezmann.

First Season with Atlético

Félix (second from left) with Atlético Madrid in 2019

Félix played his first game for Atlético on 19 August 2019. He helped his team win a penalty in that match. On 1 September, he scored his first goal in La Liga. On 1 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal. This made him the youngest goalscorer for Atlético Madrid in that competition.

In November 2019, Félix won the Golden Boy award. This award is given to the best player in Europe under 21 years old.

Winning La Liga and Dealing with Injuries

On 27 September 2020, Félix scored and assisted in Atlético's first La Liga game of the season. He scored two goals in a Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg. He was named the Player of the Month for November 2020. He also scored against European champions Bayern Munich.

In May 2021, Félix helped Atlético win their first La Liga title in seven years. He played 31 league games, scoring seven goals and providing six assists. He had been dealing with injuries, which sometimes made him lose his starting spot.

Player of the Season at Atlético

Félix (left) playing for Atlético Madrid in 2022

Félix missed the start of the 2021–22 season due to an ankle injury. He returned in September and scored his first goal of the season on 31 October. For his good play in October, he was named Atlético Madrid's Player of the Month by the fans.

On 19 February 2022, Félix played his 100th game for the club. He scored and assisted in that match. He also scored in a Champions League game against Manchester United. He helped Atlético beat Manchester United and move to the quarter-finals. In March, he won the league's Player of the Month award. At the end of the season, Félix was named Atlético Madrid's Player of the Season by the club's supporters. He finished the season with 10 goals and six assists.

Loan Spells and Return to Chelsea

Félix started the 2022–23 season by providing three assists in one game. However, his relationship with coach Diego Simeone became difficult. He started playing less and wanted to leave the club.

On 11 January 2023, Félix joined Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season. He scored his first goal for Chelsea on 11 February. After scoring four goals in 20 games, he returned to Atlético.

On 1 September 2023, Félix joined Barcelona on loan for the 2023–24 season. He scored on his first start for Barcelona on 16 September. He also scored twice and assisted in a Champions League game for Barcelona on 19 September. On 3 December, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against his parent club, Atlético Madrid.

On 21 August 2024, Félix returned to Chelsea permanently. He signed a seven-year contract. He scored in his second debut for Chelsea on 25 August.

Loan to AC Milan

On 4 February 2025, Félix joined AC Milan on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. He scored on his debut for AC Milan a day later in a cup game.

International Career

Playing for Youth Teams

João Félix started playing for Portugal's national youth teams in 2017. He played for the under-18 team, scoring two goals in his first game. He also played for the under-21 team, scoring his first goal for them in March 2018. He scored four goals in the qualification process for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Overall, he played 14 youth games and scored six goals for Portugal's youth teams.

Playing for the Senior Team

On 15 March 2019, Félix was called up to the senior team for the first time. He made his debut on 5 June against Switzerland. Four days later, Portugal won the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals by defeating the Netherlands.

He scored his first goal for the senior team on 5 September 2020 against Croatia. He played for Portugal in UEFA Euro 2020. In October 2022, he was chosen for Portugal's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 25 November, he scored his first World Cup goal against Ghana. He also provided two assists in Portugal's big win over Switzerland in the round of 16. Portugal was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco.

On 11 September 2023, Félix scored in Portugal's huge 9–0 win over Luxembourg. This was the biggest win in the team's history.

Player Profile

How He Plays

Félix playing for Atlético Madrid in 2019

João Félix is a very skilled and technical player. He can play in many attacking positions because he is so versatile. He has played as a striker, a second striker, or even a winger. His main position is an attacking midfielder.

At Benfica, Félix often played as a second striker. His job was to connect the midfield with the attack and create chances for the main striker. He also had the freedom to run into the penalty box and score goals himself. At Atlético Madrid, he sometimes played a similar role, but also as a winger. He is known for his creativity, good finishing, excellent touch on the ball, and great dribbling skills. He also has good vision and can make precise passes.

What People Say About Him

Benfica considered Félix one of the most promising players to come from their youth academy. Many experts also saw him as one of the most talented young players in the world. His playing style has been compared to famous players like Kaká and Rui Costa. Some in the media have even compared him to Cristiano Ronaldo.

In 2019, Rui Costa praised Félix for how well he "understands the game" and his "ability to know where to be in front of goal." João Tralhão, his former youth coach, said Félix is very clever and can play anywhere in attack because he always finds the right spaces.

Personal Life

João Félix was born in Viseu, Portugal. His parents, Carlos and Carla, are both teachers. He has a younger brother named Hugo, who also plays football for Benfica's youth teams. When he was growing up, Félix looked up to Kaká and Rui Costa as his idols. He was in a relationship with Portuguese actress Margarida Corceiro until May 2023.

In April 2020, Félix donated equipment to a hospital in his hometown of Viseu. This was to help during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Benfica B	2016–17	LigaPro	13	3	—		—		—		—		13	3
	2017–18	LigaPro	17	4	—		—		—		—		17	4
	Total		30	7	—		—		—		—		30	7
Benfica	2018–19	Primeira Liga	26	15	6	1	2	1	9	3	—		43	20
Atlético Madrid	2019–20	La Liga	27	6	1	0	—		6	3	2	0	36	9
	2020–21	La Liga	31	7	1	0	—		8	3	—		40	10
	2021–22	La Liga	24	8	2	1	—		8	1	1	0	35	10
	2022–23	La Liga	14	4	1	1	—		5	0	—		20	5
	Total		96	25	5	2	—		27	7	3	0	131	34
Chelsea (loan)	2022–23	Premier League	16	4	—		—		4	0	—		20	4
Barcelona (loan)	2023–24	La Liga	30	7	3	0	—		9	3	2	0	44	10
Chelsea	2024–25	Premier League	12	1	1	2	2	0	5	4	—		20	7
AC Milan (loan)	2024–25	Serie A	15	2	4	1	—		2	0	—		21	3
Career total			225	61	19	6	4	1	56	17	5	0	309	85

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Portugal	2019	5	0
	2020	8	3
	2021	7	0
	2022	8	1
	2023	8	3
	2024	9	2
Total		45	9

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Félix goal.

List of international goals scored by João Félix
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	5 September 2020	Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal	6	Croatia	3–0	4–1	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
2	11 November 2020	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	11	Andorra	7–0	7–0	Friendly
3	17 November 2020	Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia	13	Croatia	2–1	3–2	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
4	24 November 2022	Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar	25	Ghana	2–1	3–2	2022 FIFA World Cup
5	26 March 2023	Stade de Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	30	Luxembourg	2–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
6	11 September 2023	Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal	32	Luxembourg	9–0	9–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
7	16 October 2023	Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	34	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
8	11 June 2024	Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal	39	Republic of Ireland	1–0	3–0	Friendly
9	18 November 2024	Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia	45	Croatia	1–0	1–1	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A