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Joao Felix unfazed by pressure to replace Antoine Griezmann

Portuguese attacker Joao Felix yesterday said that he felt no pressure to replace Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann as he was officially unveiled at the Spanish club, following his big-money move from Benfica.

"I will simply play and do my job as best I can, to help the club I am with," Felix said.

The 19-year-old, who joined Atletico last week in a deal worth 126 million euros (S$192.2m), is a potential replacement for the France striker, who scored 133 goals in five seasons at the club.

Griezmann has already said he will leave Atletico and is expected to join Barcelona when his release clause, which dropped to 120 million euros last week, is activated.

Felix's transfer fee is a record for a Portuguese club and for Atletico Madrid, and makes the teenager the third most expensive player in history.

"Regarding the amount, as I have said, it is a question of the market and I don't understand anything about that," he said.

Felix also downplayed comparisons with Portugal teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent a decade at Real Madrid before joining Juventus in 2018.

"He is currently the best in the world, and possibly of all time. When he was with the national team, he told me about Madrid and he said he liked it a lot. But I'm here to make my own story," he said. - AFP

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