Barcelona forward earns praise from national team manager: “I saw a different maturity.”

After falling out with coach Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix managed to fulfill his life-long dream of joining Barcelona, albeit on a temporary loan deal.

The player has constantly reiterated that he would like to make his transient spell in Catalonia permanent. Felix’s animated celebration against his parent club recently encapsulated his intentions best.

While the Portuguese has had a topsy-turvy spell at Barcelona, with inconsistencies a regular occurrence, his national team coach has fully backed him, noticing a major elevation in his mentality.

Roberto Martinez praises Felix’s newfound mental strength

Indeed, in an interview given to ‘O Jogo’, via Mundo Deportivo, Roberto Martinez lauded the steps Felix has taken in his mental fortitude.

“I think Joao Felix helped himself with those decisions. He has a winning mentality, and I really enjoyed watching him during a difficult period. I saw a different maturity,” the coach commented.

After enduring difficult patches at both Atletico Madrid and Chelsea, Felix has produced some incredible exhibitions this season, although he may not have done enough just yet to secure a permanent transfer.

Touching upon Joao Cancelo, another Portuguese plying his trade in Barcelona, who also joined after falling out with his coach on deadline day, Martinez remarked that it is important to pay attention to the performances they are displaying, given their important roles.

“If players like Cancelo and Felix are playing in FC Barcelona with important roles, we can’t stop following them,” he stated.

Will Felix and Cancelo be signed permanently?

Previous reports have argued that coach Xavi Hernandez is not entirely convinced by Felix, and the straw that broke the camel’s back was his poor exhibition against Almeria.

As such, they are reconsidering their decision to purchase him next season, with Xavi reportedly not in favor of his signing in the first place.

However, the possibility of him staying another season on loan with a buy clause is also on the cards after superagent Jorge Mendes floated the idea.

Meanwhile, Barça are more than satisfied with the trajectory of Joao Cancelo. The club aims to sign him permanently, with both the sporting department and the financial executives fully convinced by the Manchester City loanee.