3 hours ago
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Chelsea flop Joao Felix scored a hat-trick on his Saudi Pro League debut, hitting the ground running to lead Al-Nassr to a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Taawoun.
Felix, 25, signed a two-year deal with the Saudi side after leaving Stamford Bridge.
His new club paid an initial £26million fee, although add-ons could see that rise as high as £43m - close to the sum the Blues paid for his services last summer.
The forward had moved to the West London outfit from Atletico Madrid, having spent an earlier spell with the Blues on loan in 2023, but departed for AC Milan after making just 20 appearances under Enzo Maresca in the first half of the season.
In a stark contrast to his fortunes in the Premier League, Felix has already made headlines in the Gulf state, and he needed just seven minutes to open the scoring on his league bow, firing a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Then, in the 67th minute, Felix crashed a stunning strike into the top corner.
Chelsea flop Joao Felix has already made headlines after his move to Saudi Arabia
Felix scored a hat-trick on his league debut for Al-Nassr in a 5-0 thrahing of Al-Taawoun
Cristiano Ronaldo also got on the scoresheet as Jorge Jesus' side went top of the Pro League
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He completed his hat-trick three minutes from time, tapping in after Cristiano Ronaldo's cross deflected off the crossbar and landed kindly at his feet.
Ronaldo also got on the scoresheet while Kingsley Coman marked his own league debut with a goal, sending Jorge Jesus' heavyweights to the top of the table.
The stats made for promising reading for Felix, who scored his three goals from five attempts on goal, four of which were on target. He also created three chances.
Felix became one of the most expensive players in football history when Atletico splashed out a jaw-dropping £113m to sign him from Benfica in 2019.
However, one of his former team-mates sensationally claimed that his talent is 'worthless' because he lacks the required work ethic.
Saul Niguez, who played with Felix at Atletico, said earlier this year: 'Joao has all the qualities to be an incredible player, but no matter how good you are, if you don't work, it's worthless.
'I heard [former Rayo Vallecano coach] Paco Jemez say that talent without effort isn't anything. A lot of us tried to help Joao, but if you don't want it...'
