End of mystery, it was revealed why Joao Felix doesn't wear Barcelona's number 10

Joao Felix was one of the most talked about players in Europe this summer. After a failed spell at Chelsea, at the end of the 2022/23 season he returned to Atlético Madrid, his parent club, and carried out pre-season work there. But the bad relationship he has with coach Diego Simeone made it impossible for him to stay there. In fact, he did not play even one minute in the first 3 games of La Liga.

That is why Atlético Madrid did their best during the whole transfer window to find him a new destination. Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia were willing to pay a fortune to take him, but Felix was not too interested in playing in the Pro League. So when Barcelona began talks for him, they quickly came to an agreement.

On the last day of the transfer window, the Portuguese player was officially presented in Barcelona and the next day he made his debut, coming on in the final minutes of the match against Osasuna. However, there was one detail that caught the attention of the fans: Joao Felix wore the number 14 shirt.

Many had speculated in the previous days that the forward would wear the number 10 shirt worn by Ansu Fati, who left for Brighton & Hove Albion this summer. But now it has been revealed why he did not. According to Sport newspaper, "he didn't ask for it nor was offered it".

He wanted to avoid pressure

Joao Felix's decision not to ask for the number 10 shirt is related to the need to take pressure off himself. For almost 15 years, Lionel Messi shone wearing that number, and the Portuguese player knew that if he chose that jersey, comparisons with the Argentine star would be inevitable. That's why he chose a "less mediatic" number. Only time will tell if he made the right decision.