Atletico Madrid fans burned a João Félix jersey before their team’s match against Barcelona. They also vandalized a plaque with his name and insulted the player outside the Metropolitano Stadium.
But when the match started, it didn’t take long for the Portugal forward to answer those fans on the field.
Félix struck against his former club again on Sunday, scoring the opening goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league.
Robert Lewandowski and Fermín López also scored for Barcelona, which moved to second place with its fifth straight league victory over Atletico.
Félix had scored the winner in the Catalan club’s 1-0 win in the league in December. The Portugal international is playing on loan from Atletico after falling out with the club last season.
Félix was loudly jeered by the Atletico fans at the Metropolitano Stadium when he was replaced in the 77th. The forward arrived at Atletico for 120 million euros (now $130 million) in 2019 but never fully met the high expectations that came with his signing.