Saúl Ñíguez, João Félix’s former Atlético Madrid teammate, blamed the Portuguese forward’s pitiful work ethic and lamented his wasted talent.
Félix joined Saúl at Atléti in 2019 from Benfica for a reported €127 million (£109.8 million, $149.8 million) fee, making him the fifth most-expensive signing ever at the time. The elfin playmaker went on to feature in 131 games for Atlético without truly justifying his price tag before leaving for Chelsea on loan in January 2023.
He’d then go on to spend the next season on loan with Barcelona, before making a permanent move back to Chelsea prior to last season. However, he failed to impress in west London once again and couldn’t convince AC Milan to make his half-season loan spell permanent.
Still only 25 years young, Félix left Europe’s elite to join Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on a permanent move this summer.
In the aftermath of that move, and the completion of Saúl’s permanent transfer to Brazilian side Flamengo himself, the Spanish midfielder mused about what could have been for Félix.
“I’m very sorry, but no matter how good you are, if you don’t work hard, you can have all the quality in the world, but it’s not enough,” Saúl seethed to Cope Radio.
“He [Félix] has all the quality in the world to be an incredible player. When he’s wanted to, he’s been an incredible player. I heard Paco Jémez [former La Liga manager] say that talent without hard work isn’t anything. This is kind of similar.”
Saúl acknowledged the pressure of Félix’s transfer fee: “It’s a massive burden, when you’re so young and they tell you what they’ve paid for you and that they expect you to be a worldwide superstar. I helped him with a lot of things, so he could feel better and play better, but he’s just said yes to everything without even understanding. You can’t do more. You can’t force people who don’t want it.”
There’s few players in history that have higher accumulated transfer fees than Félix. His talent is undeniable, but he’s never lived up the his immense potential.
In the words of Saúl, “It’s a pity because he [Félix] was a very, very, very good player.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Not Enough’—Former Joao Felix Teammate Tears Into Discarded Chelsea Misfit.