Reflecting on a career path that swapped West London for Riyadh, Joao Felix has admitted that his lack of regular minutes at Chelsea left him fearing for his international future ahead of the World Cup.
Joao Felix’s relationship with Chelsea was a strange one. His initial six-month loan in 2023 was ended by a debut red card against Fulham. Despite this, Chelsea brought him back permanently from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024 for approximately £46 million.
However, his second stint proved even more frustrating. Under Enzo Maresca, Felix found himself trapped in a congested attacking group, competing for minutes. Restricted primarily to cup appearances, he made just 20 appearances and three Premier League starts before being loaned to AC Milan.
By the summer of 2025, the experiment ended permanently when Felix joined Al-Nassr for £43 million.
SEMI-FINAL 1: Frank Lampard vs Cesc Fabregas
Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas
Credit: Leila Coker/Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Joao Felix opens up on his Chelsea exit
In an interview shared by Sapo, Joao Felix has been speaking about leaving Chelsea ahead of the upcoming World Cup with Portugal.
“I loved my time there. It’s a big club. But in the end, I had to do what felt right for me. And now I’m at Al-Nassr and we’re eight games away from winning the league. Hopefully, we can win the title.
“Of course, the [World Cup] spot was on my mind [at Chelsea]. World Cups come around every four years and I wasn’t playing, but I still enjoyed my time at Chelsea.”
Felix has scored 21 goals and assisted on 15 this season, further supporting his decision to move to Saudi Arabia.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox