João Félix records 48 goal contributions this season despite World Cup benching
The Al-Nassr forward delivered one of the most prolific seasons of his career but found himself watching Portugal's World Cup opener from the sideline
João Félix put together 29 goals and 19 assists across 56 appearances this season. Portugal’s coaching staff apparently missed the memo.
The 25-year-old attacker, who earned the Saudi Pro League Player of the Season award after helping Al-Nassr clinch the league title, was left on the bench for Portugal’s opening match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Forty-eight goal contributions in a single campaign, and the reward was a front-row seat with no participation.
A season that demanded recognition
Al-Nassr signed Félix permanently on 29 July 2025 for an initial fee of £26.2 million. That figure now looks like a bargain. The club won the Saudi Pro League title with Félix as their talisman, and the league recognized him accordingly with its top individual honor.
The World Cup selection puzzle
Portugal included Félix in their 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, announced on 19 May 2026. Making the squad wasn’t the issue. Getting on the pitch was.
Félix wasn’t coming off a mediocre season where benching him could be easily justified. He was coming off arguably the most productive individual campaign of any Portuguese attacker this year.
What this means for Félix’s trajectory
Félix’s career arc has been one of the more fascinating in modern football. He burst onto the scene as a teenager at Benfica, earned a massive transfer to Atlético Madrid, and then spent years bouncing between loan spells at Chelsea and AC Milan as his potential seemed to calcify into permanent “what if” status.
At £26.2 million, Al-Nassr got a league title and a Player of the Season. Portugal got a 48-goal-contribution attacker and chose not to use him in the biggest game of the summer. One of those parties got significantly better value.