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RIYADH: New Al-Nassr star Joao Felix last week got off to a flying start in the Roshn Saudi League with an emphatic hat-trick on his league debut for the club. The Riyadh side emerged with a thumping 5-0 victory in their opening game of the season against Al-Taawoun to sit at the top of the table.

The Portuguese international, signed from Chelsea this summer, is enjoying a busy start to life in the Kingdom, as new-look Al Nassr began their campaign with a statement win under new boss Jorge Jesus on Friday.

Speaking on his move to the RSL, the 25-year-old said he was attracted not only by playing alongside fellow Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, but also the challenge that awaits this season in ��������.

“I feel that this league is increasing (in quality) a lot,” Felix said. “Every year, more and more players are coming to play here. The project here at Al-Nassr is good and exciting. Of course, I want to help the team and the club as much as I can, by scoring goals, giving assists and helping us win games. The most important thing is I want to help us win titles.” 

On linking up with his international captain in Riyadh, he said: “You can see he is building here, doing his part to grow something. He was one of the first to speak with me about coming here and when he spoke to me, it was a great moment and feeling so that helped to convince me.”

After making his official debut for the club in Hong Kong in the Saudi Super Cup, Felix has already experienced the strong competition he was expecting.

“We played against Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad in the Super Cup. What I can say is the truth is they have amazing players, good coaches. They’re well organized, play good football. Those matches were very difficult.”

It seems the former Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona and AC Milan star is quickly settling into life on and off the pitch in Riyadh.

“For me, it’s been easy to adjust as I’ve lived already in many cities, many countries. In Riyadh, this city is huge, and it has everything. The place I live is top for me, and this is one more place for me to live my life.”

JEDDAH: Al-Ahli have announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo on a two year contract, with an option to extend for a third season.

The move comes as part of the Al-Ahli’s efforts to strengthen their squad ahead of upcoming domestic, continental and international competitions.

Al-Ahli paid €9 million ($10.5m) to secure the services of the attacking midfielder.

Goncalves will be registered among the list of foreign professional players born in 2004 and after, according to the club.

The Brazilian played 18 matches with Flamengo last season, during which he scored 5 goals and made 2 assists in 627 minutes of playing time.

Goncalves was a key player in Flamengo’s U-20 Intercontinental Cup triumphs in 2024 and 2025.