Article by Dragoș Petrescu – published on Sunday, August 03, 2025, 19:05 / Updated Sunday, 03 August 2025 7:10
Joao Felix (25 Al-Nassr. A few days away from the transfer's formalization, Saul Niguez (30) spoke about his former colleague from Atletico Madridconfessing that in his opinion he is on the wrong road.
Joao Felix arrived at Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019, when he was only 19, the club on Wanda Metropolitano paying no less than 127 million euros in exchange.
Although at that time he was seen as the new pearl of football, the Portuguese player did not give the performance that the “Rojiblanco” band was waiting for. Subsequently, his career has experienced a long series of loans, its destinations being Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea, the Londoners definitively acquiring it last summer.
However, Felix did not impose on Stamford Bridge, and thus, the Portuguese left Europe in the current Mercato period. The main reason for the decrease in form that the striker has known in recent years seems to be related to the fact that he lacks the seriousness, which is also underlined by his former colleague, Saul Niguez.
Saul Niguez about Joao Felix: “If you don't work, you're useless”
In an interview given to those from “kopeck“, Flamego's new player spoke about Joao Felix's unexplained fall, saying that the Portuguese is one of the most talented footballers with whom he had the chance to play, but this means nothing if you are not a professional to the end.
Joao has everything he needs to be an incredible player. When he came to Atletico he was on big horses. Everyone, including us, were expecting to explode in a very short time.
At the first workouts it was unstoppable, you could simply not take the ball. Dribla, excellent pass, was very good and at the end.
However, for a while, he did not have the same “drive”. I don't know what happened to him. Personally, I tried to help him, to motivate him. But he seemed to be in vain. That is, after having a better shape, it fell inexplicably again, after which it became more and more superficial, it was seen that it does not give 100%.
This shows that, no matter how good or talented you are, if you do not work hard, you can get unnecessary in your team. I hope that this transfer (no – to the NASR) will bring it back to the form that consecrated. I wish him much success.
– Saul Niguez, for “Cope“
Saul Niguez and Joao Felix were colleagues at Atletico in 2019-2022, the two taking part in the last triumph of Diego Simeone's band in La Liga (2021).
Since leaving Madrid, the Portuguese footballer has passed a single trophy at the club level, namely the UEFA Conference League with Chelsea, even in the previous season.
Joao Felix (right), after the UEFA Nations League 2025 // Photo: Imago Images
Also in the last season, Felix also won the UEFA Nations League with the national of Portugal, the second trophy he obtained in the Lusitani shirt, after the triumph of the same competition in 2019.
