'I'm not the bad guy!' - Joao Felix reacts to Atletico Madrid fans burning an effigy of him after starring for Barcelona against parent club

Felix opened the scoring against his parent club in the first half before Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez scored a goal each in the second half as Barcelona thrashed Atletico Madrid 3-0 in a vital La Liga clash on Sunday.

The Portuguese attacker received a hostile welcome as he returned to Wanda Metropolitano. A section of the Atletico Madrid fans were so furious at their former player they set fire to his Atletico shirt and spat on the player's plaque at the stadium.

Reacting to the fans' hostility towards him, the 24-year-old told reporters, "The fans don’t know what happened inside, I understand them but I shouldn’t be seen as the bad guy. Even my relationship with Atleti players is very good. What they say from the outside is that I get along badly with my former Atleti teammates, and that’s not true, I was talking to Samuel Lino and Lemar, and everyone who passed by hugged me, they came to talk."

The former Benfica player will next be seen in action for the Portugal national team who are set to play two international friendly matches against Sweden and Slovenia on March 21 and March 26, respectively.