João Félix has completed a $32.5 million move to Al Nassr, potentially rising to $54 million with add-ons and a sell-on clause. The 25-year-old Portuguese forward has signed a two-year deal with one of Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious clubs. “I’m here to spread joy. Let’s win together,” he said, smiling in front of the Al Nassr crest alongside director Simão Coutinho.
It’s the sixth senior club of Félix’s career, and arguably the most surprising. But perhaps also the most stabilizing.
| Club | Country | Years | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | Portugal | 2018–2019 | 43 | 20 |
| Atlético Madrid | Spain | 2019–2023 | 131 | 34 |
| Chelsea (loan) | England | 2023 | 20 | 4 |
| Barcelona (loan) | Spain | 2023–2024 | 44 | 10 |
| Chelsea | England | 2024–2025 | 40 | 11 |
| AC Milan (loan) | Italy | 2025 | 19 | 3 |
| Al Nassr | Saudi Arabia | 2025– | TBD | TBD |
From promise to pilgrimage
Benfica is where it all began. In 2018–19, Félix lit up the Portuguese league with 20 goals, dazzling footwork, and creative flair. By April, he had become the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick. That breakout season earned him a record-breaking $140 million transfer to Atlético Madrid.
In Madrid, the stylistic clash with Diego Simeone’s tactical rigidity was immediate. Over four seasons, Félix managed 34 goals in 131 matches. Not bad, but not transformative. He drifted in and out of the lineup, never quite at home in a counterattacking system that blunted his instincts.
A six-month loan to Chelsea in early 2023 offered a glimpse of Premier League promise. He scored 4 goals in 16 appearances but didn’t do enough to warrant a permanent move. “The new manager doesn’t count on him at Chelsea,” Atlético’s president Enrique Cerezo later revealed.
Then came Barcelona, a dream move and a better tactical fit. Under Xavi, Félix chipped in with 10 goals and 6 assists in 44 games, often playing on the left of a front three. He even scored against Atlético. But financial constraints made a permanent stay impossible.
Chelsea, in a surprising pivot, re-signed him permanently in August 2024 for around $56 million. But with a bloated squad and shifting priorities, Félix was soon loaned out again, this time to AC Milan. The results were middling: 3 goals in 19 games.
A new chapter in Riyadh
Now comes a fresh start in Saudi Arabia. Al Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and surrounded by talent like Marcelo Brozović and Sadio Mané, is banking on Félix’s creativity to reignite their domestic title push. The club’s strategy is clear: blend global icons with players in their prime. Félix, at 25, fits the mold.
The comparisons to Álvaro Morata have intensified. Like Morata, Félix has bounced between elite clubs, attracted massive fees, but never quite settled. Both are high-variance forwards. Both have been described as players who offer just enough brilliance to keep teams intrigued.
Félix’s career transfer fees now exceed $260 million. Some fans view the move to Al Nassr as a retreat. Others see it as an opportunity, a rare chance for a generational talent to find rhythm away from the unforgiving churn of European football.
Félix says he’s there to have fun. If Al Nassr gives him the freedom he’s long craved, maybe, just maybe, he can rewrite his story. Not as the next big thing. But as the player who finally found his place.
