Saúl blames João Félix’s lack of work for his failure.

Saúl Ñíguez, recently incorporated into Flamengo of Brazil, has expressed his opinion on the trajectory of his former teammate at Atlético de Madrid, João Félix. Ñíguez attributes Félix’s lack of success in several elite clubs to the player’s lack of work ethic.

No matter how good you are, if you don’t work, it’s not enough.

Saúl Ñíguez

João Félix, 25 years old, recently signed with Al Nassr of the Saudi Professional League. Both players coincided at Atletico Madrid when Félix arrived in 2019 in a record transfer of 127 million euros. Félix’s time at Atlético de Madrid did not meet expectations, and he subsequently went through Chelsea, Barcelona and AC Milan, without managing to establish himself in any of these teams. In an interview with COPE radio, Saúl commented: “Football is a team sport. He has all the qualities to be an incredible player, but no matter how good you are, if you don’t work, it’s not enough.”

After his time at Atlético, João Félix played for Chelsea and Barcelona on loan, before signing for the English club in 2024. Six months later, he joined Milan on loan, and finally signed with Al Nassr this week with a two-year contract. Saúl remembered the words of the former Rayo Vallecano coach, Paco Jémez: “Talent without effort is nothing.” He added that many tried to help João, but “if you don’t want to…” The Al Nassr coach, Jorge Jesus, who was the coach of João Félix’s youth club, Benfica, has acknowledged that the forward is not yet in top form.

Today we saw his first training match, he’s completely out of shape. He has to prepare better, especially since he hasn’t been training, it’s only his third training session with us. But I believe in his football and I believe he will be what he was at Benfica again.

Jorge Jesus

Saúl, who was also a key figure at Atlético before losing the trust of coach Diego Simeone, went through Chelsea and Sevilla on loan before joining Flamengo. When asked about Simeone, Saúl commented: “Our relationship had ups and downs, but we were always direct, and that’s what I liked the most. I value the fact that he wasn’t dishonest with me, like some people in the club.” Atlético de Madrid has had a busy summer in the transfer market, with the incorporations of Álex Baena, Thiago Almada, Johnny Cardoso, Dávid Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri and Marc Pubill. Saúl considers that this investment obliges his former club to compete for the LaLiga title this season. “Atlético has fewer and fewer excuses,” Saúl told COPE. “Last year they spent 200 million euros, this year they’ve spent another 200 million. They no longer have the excuse that ‘Saúl earns a lot’… They are spending as much as anyone, and they have to compete for everything.”