Cristiano Ronaldo has strongly defended his Portugal teammate Joao Felix following criticism of the forward’s decision to leave Chelsea and join Al Nassr this summer.
The 25-year-old signed for the Saudi Pro League side in a £43.7million move after a difficult spell in Europe.
Felix, once considered one of Europe’s brightest young attackers, has struggled to settle during stints with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea.
Despite showing flashes of quality, he failed to establish consistency and was deemed surplus to requirements by Blues boss Enzo Maresca shortly after returning to Stamford Bridge.
Ronaldo hits back at critics
The transfer has been questioned by fans and pundits who argue Felix should have fought to revive his career in Europe while still in his peak years.
Portuguese podcast Chuveirinho criticized the move earlier this week, prompting Ronaldo to issue a blunt response on Instagram.
“Idiots don’t understand anything about football, yet they still give their opinions,” wrote Ronaldo, alongside crying emojis.
The post was later deleted, while the podcast’s account responded by questioning whether they “deserved” the veteran’s rebuke given their history of praising him.
Felix’s struggles in Europe
Felix first joined Chelsea on loan two years ago before returning permanently last summer, but his stay was short-lived.
A loan spell at Milan followed, yet he was back at Stamford Bridge six months later still searching for stability. With limited options in Europe, he chose Al Nassr, linking up with Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the criticism, Felix has made a bright start to life in Riyadh and appears settled alongside his national team captain.
Chelsea move on with young talent
Chelsea’s willingness to sanction Felix’s departure was influenced by the emergence of young stars Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian.
Maresca has rotated both players in the attacking midfield role, with Palmer also featuring on the wing.
Estevao, 18, has already made two starts since arriving from Palmeiras in August.
He started in August’s 5-1 win away against West Ham when he was drafted in minutes before kick-off to replace Palmer, who was injured in the warm-up, and in the 2-0 win at home to Fulham.