New signing Joao Felix started alongside five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and two-time African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane as Al-Nassr faced Ligue 1 side Toulouse in a pre-season friendly in Austria on Wednesday.
Portuguese Joao Felix, who joined the Saudi heavweights from Chelsea for £43.7 million a day earlier, formed part of an attacking trio with at least one title in six different countries.
Ronaldo featured for the first time since signing a contract extension to end uncertainty over the talisman’s future at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Al-Nassr’s goals came from Mane, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohamed Simakan, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem and an own goal in a 5-2 win over Austrian club SK St Johann on Saturday, when Ronaldo was rested after starting pre-season training.
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Al Nassr vs Toulouse: Joao Felix in starting lineup
Joao Felix was regarded as the world’s most exciting young player when he scored 20 goals in 43 games in his debut season for Benfica, persuading Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone to pay £113million – the third-highest fee ever – for him.
Alongside an uneasy relationship with notorious taskmaster Simeone, the sensation struggled for form and fitness before being loaned to Chelsea in January 2023.
A subsequent loan switch to Barcelona again produced patchy form, causing cash-strapped Barca to decide against making the deal permanent, instead signing Dani Olmo.
Atleti sold Joao Felix to Chelsea in exchange for England midfielder Conor Gallagher, with the then-Portugal international valued at £45m in a deal likely linked to the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
Six months into a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge, Joao Felix began a loan spell at AC Milan that yielded a return of three goals in 21 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo: First season under Jorge Jesus
Jorge Jesus took charge of Al-Nassr earlier this month on a one-year contract. “Without his invitation, I certainly wouldn’t be there,” the he said of Ronaldo.
“The motivation will be great. I’m going to try to ensure that Al-Nassr, which is one of the best clubs in Saudi Arabia, can win titles.
The 70-year-old Portuguese won the Saudi Pro League and King Cup with Al-Hilal in 2023/24.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a player who has always won everything he’s played for,” added Jorge Jesus.
“He hasn’t won in Saudi Arabia yet. I’ll see if I can help him. We speak the same language, everything is easy.”
Sadio Mane stats
Liverpool and Senegal icon Mane joined Al-Nassr from Bayern Munich in August 2023 on a reported tax-free salary of more than £34m.
Now 33, Mane shared the Premier League Golden Boot and won the Champions League in 2018/19, then won the 2019/20 Premier League with the Reds.
He contributed 19 goals and 11 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions in his first campaign with Al-Nassr, then scored 18 and set up 14 in 47 matches last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo contract
Despite top-scoring in the top flight in each of his two seasons with Al-Nassr, who have colosssal financial might through the country’s Public Investment Fund, Ronaldo is yet to win the Saudi title.
Shortly after Al-Nassr finished third last season – 13 points behind champions Al-Ittihad – Ronaldo appeared to strongly hint on social media that he had played his final game for the club.
He agreed a new contract exactly a month later, having scored in Portugal’s triumphant Nations League semi-final against Germany and final against Spain.
The five-time Champions League winner scored 35 goals in 41 matches across all competitions for Al-Nassr in 2024/25.
Ronaldo weekly salary
On financial website Forbes’ all-time list of the highest earning athletes in a year, only boxer Floyd Mayweather eclipses Ronaldo, having pocketed an estimated $300m (£226m) in 2015 and $285m (£214.5m) in 2018.
Ronaldo was said to have surpassed $1 billion (£771m) in career earnings two years before becoming the most high-profile footballer to move to Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo’s first Al-Nassr deal was widely reported to be worth £14.75m a month or £3.4m per week. His annual salary was said to be £177m per year, made up of £62m for his football salary, supplemented by commercial bonuses.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has a variety of lucrative sponsorship deals, with his recent endorsements including Whoop, video game UFL and cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
When does Ronaldo’s 2025/26 season start with Al Nassr?
The 2025/26 Saudi Pro League season will start in late August, with the fixtures yet to be confirmed in late July. You can keep an eye on any announcements here.
Al-Ittihad, who are managed by legendary defender Laurent Blanc, are the reigning champions, having finished eight points above Al-Hilal and 13 ahead of Al-Nassr last season.
