A plaque bearing Joao Felix’s name outside Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium has been vandalised by fans after the player left for Chelsea.
Felix became the most expensive player in Atlético’s history when he joined from Benfica in July 2019 for a fee of around £115 million.
Despite scoring 34 goals, Felix failed to live up to the high price he paid for it, with the Spanish club eventually having to sell Chelsea at a huge loss for £42.7 million.
Felix has fallen out of favour with Atletico manager Diego Simeone, with many fans criticising the attitude of the 24-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona.
After his move to Stamford Bridge was officially confirmed, the plaque on the Walk of Legends was covered in litter in the form of cigarette butts and empty beer cans.
A plaque bearing Joao Felix’s name has been vandalised outside Atletico Madrid’s stadium
Felix, 24, poses for a photo in a Chelsea shirt after leaving Atletico on Wednesday
The Walk of Legends features plaques for players who have played in at least 100 official matches for Atlético.
Felix played 131 league games for Atletico, 96 of which were in La Liga.
His last appearance for the club in Spain came earlier this month in a 3-1 friendly win over Getafe.
Felix scored in that match, but he was the target of insults from Atlético fans, who called him a “bastard”.
The Portuguese playmaker has now signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, having previously made 20 appearances for the London club during a loan period in the 2022-23 season.
Chelsea bought Felix for £42.7m – significantly less than what Atletico paid for him in 2019
Felix pictured earlier this month during a friendly match between Getafe and Atletico
After completing his return to Chelsea on Wednesday, Felix told the club’s official website: ‘This is an opportunity for me to find a home.
‘After two loans, Chelsea and Barca, I had to stay permanently in one place. There is no better place for me than Chelsea. I see a perfect place to shine.
“It was a bit of a lot of things that made me want to go back: the project, the club, the league, the fans, the time I spent here and enjoyed. I felt really good when I was here, despite the results we had. I’m really happy to be back.”