Alongside Ajax duo of captain Mathis De Ligt and Barcelona-bound Frenkie De Jong, João Félix Sequeira is one of football's hottest prospects at the moment. A dream debut campaign has put the youngster in the radar of most European powerhouses. The likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and Liverpool are all rumored to be interested in signing the teenager.
Felix plays off a striker rather than as an out-and-out forward himself, but that has not stopped him scoring 10 times in 18 league appearances for Benfica this season.
Although the 19-year-old has a reported buyout clause of €120 million, TransferMarkt places his current value at €35 million. He is under contract until 2023 and earlier this month became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat trick as Benfica beat Frankfurt 4-2 in Lisbon. The Portuguese went on to lose the return leg in Germany 2-0 ending their European dream to allow them to concentrate on the domestic front.
Development
He was promoted to Benfica's B team when he was just 16, becoming the youngest player of all time to debut and also score in the Portuguese second tier. At the end of that season, he was already featuring in the Portugal under-21 team, skipping three age groups.
Breakout and Comparison to Ronaldo
At his age, as some in Portugal have lately been arguing, Felix seems to be even more developed than Cristiano Ronaldo was when he was still settling into life at Manchester United after arriving from Sporting CP.
Devastatingly effective when running at defenders, the teen star is capable of playing in every position across the forward line. With a vast skill set that will probably only get better as he develops more, he already possesses an elegance and self-confidence with the ball comparable to the best talents in the game.
The Benfica prodigy has been defined as a mix of Portuguese legends Rui Costa and Joao Vieira Pinto and has also, somewhat inevitably, been compared to Ronaldo. And he can indeed be a bit of all three.
Similarity to Brazilian Playmaker Kaka
Tall but graceful, Felix is strong in the air and skillful with the ball at his feet. His exquisite balance, vision and languid running style have earned comparisons to iconic former Brazil international, Kaka, as well as Benfica legends such as Rui Costa.
There are similarity between Felix and Kaka, a player Felix lists as his boyhood hero. Both are good passers with a strong eye for goal, and can play anywhere in behind the striker. However, it is at inside forward where he has been at his best. Using his stronger right foot to good effect. he has been most dangerous when cutting in from the left wing.
Under new Benfica manager Bruno Lage, Felix has been moved into attack in a 4-4-2 alongside top scorer Haris Seferovic. This is a switch from being used on the left of a 4-3-3 as he was under previous boss Rui Vitoria. Since that move into the middle, he has scored six in his last seven games.
Goalscoring is certainly what Felix does best; of his 14 goal contributions this season, 10 have been scored by him, while he has made the other four. But having been let go by Porto because of his slight frame as a youngster, his physique is still a priority for Benfica to improve, and he has been given a special regime to improve his strength this season
The Accolades
Next Career Move?
At the moment, Benfica's president Luis Filipe Viera remains bullish at the prospect of letting the teenager depart Estadio da Luz anytime soon.
However, Benfica have a known tradition of produceing some of the most exciting, young Portuguese players. Benfica have also developed a reputation for signing and developing talented individuals from outside Portugal before selling them on to clubs in Europe's biggest leagues for siezable profit.
There haven't been a shortage of big names that came through the Benfica youth system. Recent big money sales from the club include Manchester City shot stopper Ederson, Chelsea centre-back David Luiz, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof, PSG forward Angel Di Maria, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, Bayern Munich forward Renato Sanches, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Rui Costa and Joao Cancelo all came through the ranks at Benfica.
It is on the basis of this model, that it can be assumed that Felix won't be off the market for long and will also be sold in future too. Wherever he ends next remains to be seen but whatever happens, Felix must make sure the next move will allow his career to grow to the next level unlike Sanches who's career has failed to kick on at Bayern.
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