Friendship meets rivalry for Thierry Correia and João Félix

Portugal is seeing the emergence of its next ‘Golden Generation’, and two players in LaLiga are at the forefront. One is a new signing for Valencia CF, the other a summer arrival at Atletico Madrid. Thierry Correia and João Félix will go head-to-head on Saturday, when the two clubs meet at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Up until this year and a Spain side that included Ferran Torres and Hugo Guillamón, only one country had managed to win the the Under-17s and Under-19s European Championships in consecutive tournaments. That country was Portugal, and the ‘Class of 1999’ that has produced the likes of Rafael Leão and Tiago Djaló (AC Milan), Rúben Vinagre (Wolverhampton Wanderers), and Correia.

Whilst he hasn’t been part of the final phase of a tournament up until this summer’s UEFA Nations League, João Félix can be considered part of that generation. His friendship with Correia came about with the national team, and it is at that level that they have shared some memorable moments. One such occasion was the day in which the attacker scored on his Under-18s debut against Norway, rounding several opposition players en route to bagging a brace.

The duo have played against one another as much as they have on the same team. Sporting CP youth product Correia first came up against Félix when he was at FC Porto, then later when he moved to Sporting’s cross-town rivals Benfica. In total, they have been on opposing sides in a dozen games.

With Félix’ breakthrough into the Benfica first team, his good friend was willing him on to play and score goals. It was a cruel irony, then, that the first goal came against Correia’s Sporting CP. “That wasn’t the game to do it! He never scores, and now he does it against Sporting CP!” he joked after the game.

Correia and Félix coincided at the Cidade do Futebol de Oeiras training ground during the international break: One with the Under-21s, the other with the senior side. They will be reunited again this weekend at the Wanda Metroplitano, where friendship will be put aside for 90 minutes and shirts will be exchanged after the final whistle.