Felix Refuelled: Al Nassr coup primes Portugal star for World Cup thrive | OneFootball

It’s been a wild 12 months for Joao Felix, who will most probably line up for Portugal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup last 32 early on Friday with the glint back in his eye and a swagger in his step.

How different the scene will look against Croatia in Toronto to one that Felix faced 12 months ago.

Back then, the former teen prodigy had come off a frustrating campaign that began in England with Chelsea and concluded at Serie A's AC Milan. Felix, aged 25, hadn’t really made an impact at either club, his once promising career seemingly at a crossroads.

The Portugal star had cycled through four teams in three seasons across three countries. Evidently, he looked a shadow of the player that early on had taken the football world by storm, first at Benfica in his homeland and then initially in La Liga with Atletico Madrid.

It was the latter who signed Felix to a mammoth seven-year contract.

At the time, his move to the Spanish giants was the fourth highest transfer in football history, and the most Atletico had spent on a single player. It represented an indication of just how highly Diego Simeone and his employers rated the prodigiously talent teenager.

However, a philosophical and personality clash with his Argentine manager meant we never saw the best of Felix in his four seasons at Atleti. What followed were a frustrating 36 months across Chelsea, Barcelona, Chelsea again, and then finally with Milan.

In a few short years, Felix had gone from football’s next global superstar to forgotten starlet.

While he was still featuring for his national team, it was last summer that Felix knew, with the World Cup 12 months away, he needed to find a new home and a new challenge to reignite his career.

Enter Al Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo had seen up close the talent Felix possessed - he'd been the beneficiary of it for Portugal across many years - and so he sensed an opportunity.

Alongside the Portuguese icon, and under celebrated Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, Felix felt an window opening, too.

Jesus, himself having joined Al Nassr in the summer, had witnessed his young compatriot’s emergence in Portugal, at a Benfica he'd previously coached and where, to this day, is regarded a legendary figure.

While Jesus had never tutored Felix, his innate understanding of his abilities meant he knew how to get the best out of him. That challenge began with restoring the forward to his natural habitat: more centrally.

"It's been a long time since a manager played me in my proper position," Felix said earlier this year. "[Jesus] put me back where I started and where I feel most comfortable.

“I'd heard countless stories about [the] manager. He's a different kind of manager, a great manager and an excellent person, too. I've learned a lot from him; he's helped me a great deal and I can only thank him."

Jesus knew, also, that combining Portugal teammates would be beneficial for not only the players involved and Al Nassr overall, but for the national team, as well.

“Although they already know each other, more and more they’re playing as a combination,” Jesus said last August during Al Nassr’s pre-season.

“Could it benefit Portugal? I have no doubt. In fact, they’re two who are selected every time there’s internationals. And playing the two together, it becomes easier for the national team manager.”

Joao Felix was integral to Al Nassr's title win, with 20 goals & 13 assists in debut RSL season

Fast forward 12 months, and Felix came into the World Cup in North America on the back of a career-best season in his debut campaign in Saudi Arabia.

His 20 goals and 13 assists were crucial to Al Nassr capturing a first RSL title in seven years, while Felix promptly collected the SPL Player of the Season award to go with it.

And the biggest beneficiaries of that rediscovered form, outside of Al Nassr? Portugal.

While Felix sat out the team’s World Cup opener last month against DR Congo, he featured in the starting XI in their two remaining Group K fixtures against Uzbekistan and Colombia. In the former - a thumping 5-0 win in which Ronaldo struck twice - Felix earned praise from coach Roberto Martinez .

“It's unfair to talk about one player because all the players are ready to help the team, [but] Joao had a very good training period, and today it was a pleasure to see him enjoy football,” Martinez enthused. “Because his quality is enormous.”

So, since captain Ronaldo has also grown into the tournament following that DR Congo blank, the combination and understanding between him and Felix could just prove the difference.

“A year of playing together is a long time,” Felix said this week. “You get to know your teammate well. You come to understand what he needs and what he likes.

"I think we make a good duo - he knows where I like to receive the ball, and vice versa. He’s an asset wherever he plays.”

With Ronaldo chasing the one major football trophy that eludes him, and Felix a player reborn, it might just be the Al Nassr pair who hold the key to Portugal’s bid for the game's ultimate prize.

“This has been a very important year in my career,” Felix said. “I feel confident and ready to help the team. Without a doubt I feel more mature. It was an incredible year; I’m coming in more confident than ever.”