'We just need to enjoy him' - Joao Felix hails irrepressible Ronaldo

What a start to Joao Felix’s Al Nassr career.

The Portugal international, taking his first, anything-but-tentative, steps in the Roshn Saudi League, starred in the league leaders’ 5-1 rout of Al Fateh at Al Awwal Park on Saturday night.

Just as he did on RSL debut at Al Taawoun, Felix hit another hat-trick, his first and second goals worthy of lighting up any contest. Justifiably, he departed with both the match ball and Man of the Match award.

Five RSL appearances in, and the summer signing from England’s Chelsea tops the 2025-26 scoring charts, with eight goals.

With Felix firing, Al Nassr are forging forward at the top of the table. It’s early days, but the 2018-19 champions are sitting pretty in their bid for a first top-flight trophy in seven seasons.

Not that Felix is getting carried away.

“Just keep working,” he said, Man of the Match award in hand. “The team are doing a great job and if we keep like that… today it was me, tomorrow it can be Cristiano [Ronaldo], next day [Sadio] Mane, King [Kingsley Coman].

“If the team is good, everyone will be close to a great performance. So we just need to keep doing like this.”

To be fair, he has a rather fine example to follow when it comes to maximising optimum performances. Arguably, the best. For many, the greatest ever.

Felix may have left Al Nassr's home on Saturday with another Man of the Match award, but Ronaldo later claimed another BSF Goal of the Week nod.

The Al Nassr captain’s beautiful curler, scored at the same end where he blasted home that 2024-25 RSL Goal of the Season, had put the hosts back into the lead on the hour following Sofiane Bendebka’s equaliser minutes before.

In another show of Ronaldo’s unshakeable resolve, his fifth goal of the current RSL campaign - he is striving for a third successive golden boot - arrived moments after his penalty was saved by Amin Al Bukhari, the Al Fateh goalkeeper.

It may have marked an uncharacteristic error from 12 yards. But, then again, when has the 40-year-old, only 51 goals shy of 1,000 in his professional career, let that deter him?

“He’s doing like he does always,” said Felix, Ronaldo’s teammate for country as well as for club. “He’s trying to be the best. He’s so competitive, and it’s part of him. It will be like that until the last day he plays football.

“So, we just need to enjoy the last moments that we have with him. Yeah, enjoy the moments, because this goes too fast.”