Another new season and another new club for Joao Felix as he has now joined Saudi heavyweights Al Nassr from Chelsea. Earlier this week, Chelsea agreed to sell Joao Felix to Al Nassr in a deal worth around £45 million. The Portuguese international will now team up with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo as the latter has signed a two-year contract extension with Al Nassr. With the inclusion of Joao Felix, Al Nassr have strengthened their squad. On the other hand, Chelsea can finally accelerate the deals with two Dutchmen, Jorrel Hato and Xavi Simons. Al Nassr have officially announced the signing of Felix on their social media handle. The attacker has already started training sessions with his new club.
All You Need to Know About Joao Felix
Joao Felix arrived as a one of a kind talent on the map of European football. Considered a superb prodigy, Felix was an academy product of Porto. But later on, he joined rival club Benfica in 2016. He finally made his first senior-level debut with Benfica back in 2018. From that season, he began to mesmerise the football fraternity with his skills and scoring. When Atletico Madrid bought Felix from Benfica back in the 2019-20 season, Joao Felix was already labelled as the ‘future star’ of Portugal. After becoming the new sensation at Atletico Madrid, Felix had some beautiful moments in his first couple of seasons. In 2019, Juventus and Atletico Madrid faced each other in a famous UEFA Champions League tie. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics in the second leg, a particular moment went viral where Cristiano was seen praising Joao Felix’s game during the match. During his spell at Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix scored 34 goals in 131 matches. Then, he joined Chelsea in 2022, and from there Felix’s form started to dip.
A Permanent ‘Loanee’: Joao Felix’s Significant Drop in Consistency
The current Portugal football team are one of the favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This country has been producing some sheer talent for years. But Joao Felix isn’t in that elite category anymore. Despite being just 25, Joao Felix has somehow lost that spark in his game. Since joining Chelsea on a permanent move, he has become nothing more than a loan player. Throughout these years, Felix has already played as a loanee in big clubs like Barcelona and AC Milan. He even came back to Atletico once on loan to revive his form. Inconsistency has been the biggest obstacle in his career so far. The media has already labelled him as a ‘money-printing machine’. According to the football pundits, Felix himself is responsible for having this kind of drop in his career. The player hasn’t been able to settle down until he joined Al Nassr.
Author’s Opinion: How This Move to Al Nassr Works for Felix
With the World Cup knocking on the door, Joao Felix needs to make a permanent move in his career. While many critics have pointed out his switch to the Saudi League as another wrong decision, it might help Joao Felix to regain his confidence. After a record £126 million transfer to Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix has only struggled. In the Saudi League, he can play again with a free mind. He will no longer play as a backup option at Al Nassr. Moreover, the presence of Cristiano himself will boost him up. Actually, Felix’s departure from Chelsea was just a matter of time. His previous club, Benfica, was also very much interested in bringing Felix back. But Al Nassr hijacked him as the Saudi club is leaving no stone unturned to win the league this season. Under newly appointed head coach Jorge Jesus, both Joao Felix and Otavio will focus on sharpening their games.
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As featured on Chelseanews.com
