Joao Felix: “I don’t feel the obligation to pass to Ronaldo” | OneFootball

Portugal star Joao Felix has stated that he is under no obligation to always pass to teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ahead of Portugal’s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco, Felix was speaking to the press and the subject of Ronaldo dominated discussions. Felix himself was asked about Ronaldo, who recently came under controversy for having threatened to leave the camp after learning that he will not start against Switzerland.

While the Portuguese Football Federation denied the rumour, Felix was asked about his veteran teammate. The Atletico Madrid man spoke about the differences between when Ronaldo plays and when he doesn’t:

“The tactic is the same whether he is there or not, since the first game we have used the same tactic. He has characteristics that others don’t have, there are others who have others, the team, after all, always has the same identity.”

Felix also spoke about whether Portugal play more like a team when Ronaldo isn’t playing, saying: “I don’t feel that, that obligation to pass the ball to Cristiano. We always try to find the best solution, but everyone has their own opinion. For my part, I don’t feel that pressure to always pass the ball to Cristiano. When he’s giving things that others don’t. If he’s on the pitch, we play differently because he brings things to the game. It is not by playing or not playing that the team will play better or worse.”

GWFN