Cristiano Ronaldo has made his feelings on Joao Felix clear, with the forward set to snub Arsenal and Man Utd for Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo has already made his thoughts clear on Joao Felix ahead of the wantaway Atletico Madrid forward’s January move to Chelsea. Felix is on the verge of joining the Blues on loan until the end of the season.
Ronaldo is no longer a Premier League player after leaving Manchester United in November and joining Al-Nasser the following month.
But he has been Felix’s Portugal team-mate since Fernando Santos handed the 23-year-old his first call-up and has previously spoken highly of what he has to offer.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo after Felix completed a £113m move to Atleti from Benfica in 2019, Ronaldo hailed the young forward.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner went as far as to say Felix could mirror his legacy-defining achievements during his time in Spain with Real Madrid.
He said: “Can he [Felix] repeat my successes in Spain? I believe that a lot because he is an excellent player with a lot of potential who can evolve.
“You can see the same with Bernardo [Silva], although he is already much more mature in this regard. It is difficult to make calculations in current football.
“You bet a lot on the potential, and the football industry is different. Leaving aside the case of Joao Felix, any player is worth £88m, even without having proven anything.
“There is more money in football. A central [defender] and a goalkeeper can be worth £61m to £70m. I don’t agree, but this is the world we live in, and we have to respect it.”
Felix hasn’t even scraped the surface of replicating Ronaldo’s success in Spain, but he remains a highly valued talent who has been the victim of poor decision-making at an early age.
Diego Simeone’s conservative approach always risked stifling his development, but he has shown glimpses of his potential for club and country since leaving Benfica in 2019.
And Chelsea splashing over £9m to sign him for less than six months rings true to suggestions he is an electric talent waiting to be unlocked.
Whether landing at Stamford Bridge, where there is currently turmoil and unsettlement in the early stages of Graham Potter’s tenure, will prove to be another poor career decision remains to be seen.
But Ronaldo is among those who will believe Felix can make a serious impact in the Premier League this year.
SOURCE: express.co.uk
