close
Cristiano Ronaldo has rubbished claims that Al-Nassr hijacked Joao Felix's proposed move to Benfica. The 25-year old left Chelsea this summer to move to the Saudi Pro League side in a reported £47.3m deal.
Felix was initially linked with a return to his boyhood club Benfica this summer, but the move failed to materialize. The Portuguese rose through the ranks at Estadio da Luz before making the blockbuster move to Atletico Madrid in 2019.
After a series of loan deals, Joao Felix moved permanently to Chelsea last summer, but failed to impress. He was initially sent out on loan to AC Milan in January, before moving to Al-Nassr this summer.
Speaking to the media after scoring a hattrick against Rio Ave in a 4-0 pre-season win, Cristiano Ronaldo added that he played no part in Felix's arrival.
"Stealing is bad news, no one stole anything from Benfica. Everyone knows João, he's very talented, and I think he'll help us a lot in the Saudi league, which is very competitive. You don't know, you're not there, you don't show up, but we saw it at the Club World Cup," said Ronaldo.
He continued:
"I think it was a better option for Félix than playing in the Portuguese league; just look at the number of stars there are in Saudi Arabia. Regardless of not playing in the Champions League, it was a very wise decision on his part. Calling him to convince him? I don't do that, I don't pick up the phone. It's not my job. You guys said that, but my job is to train and play."
Al-Nassr face Almeria in their upcoming pre-season tie on Sunday, August 10, at the Estadio Mediterraneo.
How many games have Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix played together for Portugal?
Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo" srcset="https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/08/d5a87-17546303744848-1920.jpg 1920w">
Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has shared the pitch 37 times with Joao Felix in his career, all for the national team, contributing two goals together. Felix and Ronaldo featured side by side for the first time in the 3-1 win over Switzerland in the 2019 UEFA Nations League semifinal.
Portugal would go on to win the tournament that year. The two men were also part of the squad that won the UEFA Nations League this year.
Joao Felix was once considered one of the finest young footballers in the world. While his career has gone haywire of late, playing regularly alongisde Cristiano Ronaldo could help get things back in track.
Why did you not like this content?
Cancel Submit
Was this article helpful?
like selected
avatar selected
Thank You for feedback
About the author
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
Know More
Quick Links
More from Sportskeeda
Edited by Deepungsu Pandit