João Félix has become the fourth highest-paid player in the Saudi Pro League after sealing a big-money move to Al-Nassr.
The Portuguese international, who will now team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Riyadh-based club, secured a major salary increase, earning €17.5 million annually.
According to Correio da Manhã, the former Chelsea and Atlético Madrid forward earned a total of €50 million during his time at Stamford Bridge, including €30 million up front and €20 million in bonuses. However, his career trajectory had declined after his breakout at Benfica.
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Felix joined Atlético Madrid in 2019 for a staggering €126 million but failed to meet expectations. Loan spells at Chelsea and Barcelona also didn’t yield the desired results. Although he signed permanently for Chelsea last summer, he struggled for game time under new boss Enzo Maresca and was later loaned to AC Milan in January, where he again failed to impress.
There were talks of a potential return to Benfica this summer, with the player open to rejoining his former club. However, Benfica couldn’t meet either Chelsea’s valuation or Felix’s wage demands.
Al-Nassr capitalized on the situation and offered the 25-year-old a lucrative contract. Having earned €8 million annually at Chelsea, Felix will now more than double that figure in Saudi Arabia.
In terms of salary, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez, Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mané now earn more than him in the Saudi top flight.