Catarro: Ronaldo key to João Félix’s attitude shift | OneFootball

João Félix was one of the highlights of the National Team last Saturday, September 6th. Starting in the match against Armenia, the former Benfica player scored two goals in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match, which ended 5-0. Paulo Catarro paid close attention to the performance of Portugal's 'number 11' and expressed hope for the relaunch of the footballer's career, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I think it might be a little different now for three reasons. One of them is being alongside a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, whose standard of demand, even for his teammates, is tremendous. If that was already happening in the National Team, now João Félix has Cristiano Ronaldo's voice demanding a highly elevated standard from him in every game," Paulo Catarro began by saying in statements to the Now channel.

Next, the sports journalist highlighted the increase in playing time as another factor that could benefit the Al Nassr player: "Then, João Félix has the opportunity to play very regularly, something that didn't happen in the other teams he was in, where the competition was very high. He was in clubs where the respective squads were very rich and with very valuable players, who were always on the lookout for a spot, which made it difficult for him to motivate himself enough to fight for that same spot."

Aware of the level of work demanded by Jorge Jesus, Al Nassr's coach, Paulo Catarro admitted that this could also be a decisive factor for João Félix to return to his best form: "The third point is the coach (Jorge Jesus), whose standard of demand is also highly elevated. I think the conditions are set to really show that he is a player who can be consistent, because the quality is there, as we all know, and yesterday (September 6th) it was once again visible. Not only for what he played or the goals he scored... I think the second goal is an example of the immense quality he has, of the football genius that goes in that player."

Finally, Paulo Catarro emphasized the urgency for João Félix to take advantage of the opportunity he has at Al Nassr, considering that it might be one of the last he has to establish himself as a top player: "He doesn't have many more opportunities than this, which is served to him on a silver platter. With a World Cup also on the horizon next year, I think he has all the conditions to have a good season and to really establish himself as a top player at the European and world level."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.