Felix will hope to prove critics wrong

25-year-old should derive inspiration from Ronaldo to get his game back on track

- BY SHAMSEER MOHAMMED Staff Writer

Remember when Joao Felix was the hottest young player in Europe? At Benfica, he looked like he could do anything with a football.

Then Atletico Madrid paid €126 million for him when he was just 19. Everyone thought he’d become a superstar. That was five years ago.

Today, he has signed for Al Nassr to play in Saudi Arabia alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who at 40 is in the twilight of his career. So what happened?

Was it a mistake joining Atletico Madrid in the first place? Sometimes the biggest offer isn’t the right one. The price tag carried its weight. Later it proved that he wasn’t strong enough to carry that weight.