Joao Felix clash after Atletico Madrid fan asked “to injure” Antoine Griezmann

The Portuguese forward endured an unwanted meeting with an Atletico Madrid fan as he was asked to try to injure new signing Antoine Griezmann during a training session

Joao Felix has clashed with a fan of Atletico Madrid who asked him to injure teammate Antoine Griezmann during a training session.

It comes the day after Griezmann was loudly booed by Atleti fans upon his first return to the club’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium during their Champions League clash against Porto.

The French forward returned to Atleti on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan deal – with an obligation to buy – from Barcelona, having made the switch to the Camp Nou in 2019.

Yet Griezmann’s return to the Spanish capital club has not gone down well with all of the club’s fans, many of whom remain unhappy with the manner in which he left Atleti two years ago.

The exchange with Joao Felix – who effectively replace Griezmann at Atleti but the two are now teammates – shows a fan demanding that the Portuguese forward injures the new arrival.

Footage shows the 21-year-old in a car and then rolling his window down when he is approached by the fan, but the incident soon turned sour.

The demand was made by the supporter: “Joao, step on Griezmann, you have to injure him, it can’t be that he starts ahead of you.”

Joao Felix then responded angrily, before driving off: “You should have more respect for Griezmann.”

As the Portuguese player was driving away, the supporter shouted: “Don’t forget to go for Griezmann’s shin, Joao.”

It came the day after Griezmann was booed by large sections of the Atleti support after being introduced as a second half substitution by Diego Simeone against Porto.

It was not the first time on the evening that the fans made their feeling towards the Frenchman known, having also booed his name and number being read out prior to the match starting, although there was also a smattering of applause.

Simeone defended his player after the game and believes he would respond positively to the fan reaction.

The Atleti boss said: “They (the media) are making a movie and a morbid situation that clearly gives us the importance of having recovered an extraordinary footballer like him and that we can enjoy.

“We hope that he gets better and can respond to the people that criticise him.

“He has a challenge to move forward and consequences for what happened in the past.”

Griezmann left Atleti in contentious circumstances two years ago, joining La Liga rivals Barcelona when his release clause in the Spanish capital was triggered.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s match, Eduardo Fernandez, the president of the Atlético de Madrid International Peñas Union, explained to L’Equipe: “A part of the public will whistle and insult him, that’s for sure. When his name is announced and as soon as he touches the ball.

“There is a disenchantment. Before, he was our idol. Now he’s just a player like any other. He doesn’t represent much anymore. His image has seriously deteriorated. We’re all still hurt by what he did. Time is going to see our pain heal. He will have to regain our trust and our love.

“It is up to him to be forgiven and to redeem himself. How? ‘Or’ What? By sweating the jersey and scoring. When he sets important goals, little by little things will get back to normal. Because he can once again become the great player he was, I am convinced.”

It was a prediction that came to pass but the reception the forward receives is likely to become less heated whenever he returns to goalscoring form at the club.

Griezmann netted 133 goals in 257 appearances for Atleti during his first spell, before scoring 35 times across two seasons at the Camp Nou.

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