João Félix has revitalised his career at Al Nassr, scoring two goals and providing six assists across his last two appearances for the Saudi Arabian club.
The recent burst takes the 26-year-old forward to seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions for the Riyadh side this season. Félix has also carried that prolific form onto the international stage, scoring three goals for Portugal in the UEFA Nations League.
Now in his second year in the Saudi Pro League, Félix is enjoying a complete resurgence after a dominant debut campaign under manager Jorge Jesus. Al Nassr claimed the league championship last season, with Félix recording 26 goals and 18 assists across 47 official matches, finishing just four goals behind team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo prediction and summer transfer
Félix completed his move to Al Nassr in the summer of 2025 at a time when Portuguese giants Benfica were actively attempting to bring him back to Lisbon.
Cristiano Ronaldo predicted at the time that moving to Saudi Arabia represented a far better choice for Félix than returning to the Portuguese league. Ronaldo argued that his compatriot possessed immense talent and would provide substantial firepower to help Al Nassr challenge for silverware.
European struggles after record Benfica departure
The numbers Félix is producing in Riyadh represent the first time he has reached such heights since his breakthrough year at Benfica during the 2018-19 season. In that campaign, he scored 20 goals and provided eight assists in 43 matches for the Lisbon giants, prompting Atlético Madrid to sign him for a club-record fee of roughly 127 million euros.
Félix struggled to justify that transfer fee in Spain, failing to cement a regular starting role. Subsequent loan and permanent spells at Chelsea in the English Premier League, Barcelona in La Liga, and AC Milan in Italy's Serie A followed a similar pattern, with the Portuguese attacker failing to pass the 10-goal mark in any individual European season.
Tactical role and life without distractions
Jorge Jesus attributed the attacker's transformation partly to the focused lifestyle in Saudi Arabia when Félix first completed his transfer. Jesus remarked that the player had entered an environment where football was the only priority, pointing out that there was no alcohol, without suggesting Félix drank, alongside an absence of nightlife and social distractions.
Jesus added that the conditions allowed Félix to concentrate entirely on playing, recovering, and spending quiet time with family and close friends.
More recently, speaking in his role as the Portugal national team manager, Jesus explained the tactical reasons behind the forward's resurgence. Jesus stated that while Félix had represented some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe, managers had failed to understand how to exploit his talents and frequently played him out of position.
Jesus emphasised that Félix produces his finest football when deployed centrally as a second striker, a position that allows him to link midfield and attack with freedom.
