Portugal's João Félix Joins Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr on $35 Million Deal
Joao Felix took his total transfer cost to around $260 million Tuesday when completing his latest move — this time to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
The Portugal forward has teamed up with compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, joining from Chelsea for a reported initial fee of 30 million euros ($34.6 million) and signing a two-year contract.
"I’m here to spread joy. Let’s win together," Félix said in a video announcing his arrival, shared on Al Nassr's social media channels.
He is the latest star player from Europe to move to Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom's bid to become a major force in soccer. But his transfer from Club World Cup winner Chelsea is the latest in a long line of moves for a player who holds the record for the fourth most expensive signing in history, but has failed to live up to the expectations placed on him so early in his career.
Still only 25, Félix has time to hit the heights he seemed destined for when joining Spanish giant Atletico Madrid from Benfica for $140 million in 2019. But his career has stalled since then with a series of loans to top teams including Chelsea, Barcelona and most recently AC Milan failing to see him establish himself among the very elite.
According transfer date website Transfermarkt, Félix is behind only Neymar (222 million euros ($256 million)), Kylian Mbappe (180m euros ($208 million)) and Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele (both 135m euros ($155.8 million)) on the list of highest transfer fees in soccer.
His value has dropped significantly — joining Chelsea for a reported $60 million last year, with his fee almost halving again to join Al Nassr.
The move to Saudi Arabia is not guaranteed to reignite his career. While some have flourished, including the likes of Ronaldo