'Above all, I want to be champion' - star man Joao Felix fires Al Nassr title hopes

A sixth Man of the Match award of the 2025-26 Roshn Saudi League represented welcome recognition for Joao Felix against Al Kholood on Friday night.

But it wasn’t what pleased him most.

It was that Al Nassr racked up a fourth successive league victory, jumping back into second in the table after Matchweek 19 and, crucially, to within three points of Al Hilal at the summit.

OK, Felix didn’t get on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win, making it the seventh game in which he hasn’t added to his already-impressive 13 RSL goals in his debut campaign, but still, he was instrumental in the triumph.

The summer signing from Chelsea assisted both Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener and Mohamed Simakan for the game’s second (Kingsley Coman netted the third from the penalty spot).

Winning run extended, Al Nassr are back pushing Al Hilal. Hard.

“Congratulations to the whole team,” Felix said. “Even in the first half, 0-0, we created a lot of chances and defended well. We knew that later we would score, and we scored three goals in the second half.

“There could have been more, but we are happy. We won and we will continue on our way.”

The hope is that path leads all the way to the title. No matter whose goals fire Al Nassr to the trophy.

“There are moments when any shot is a goal; there are moments when we change the way and we don't,” Felix said. “But honestly, I don't want to know about the goals. I want to help the team, I want to win games. And, above all, I want to be champion.”

Having topped the table with nine victories from their opening nine RSL matches this season, Al Nassr let in Al Hilal by failing to win any of their next four. Three of those resulted in defeats, including the Capital Derby to their Riyadh rivals.

However, the ship’s course has been corrected. And Felix feels the only route now is to forge forward.

“We had a less-good phase, but this happens in all seasons, in all teams,” he said. “I feel that we have already gone through this moment, and I hope that, until the end of the season, we will not go through it again.

“And if that happens, we will be happy in the end.”