Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 in one of the most talked about and reported transfers the world had ever seen. It was a coup in Football as the club playing in the Saudi Pro League had notched up a legend and one of the all time greats of the game. Ronaldo, on the wrong side of 30, was still playing brilliantly, and his joining the Saudi League was akin to a massive referendum in favour of Saudi Football.
Since Ronaldo’s joining, a host of quality players from Europe have switched to Saudi Arabia in a tremendous validation of the League. The quality is improving by the day, thus attracting more talent, and with deep pockets available, money is just not the issue.
With the Saudi Pro League moving forward rapidly, Al-Nassr has unfortunately failed to lift any trophy since the arrival of Ronaldo to its shores, leaving fans restless and even annoyed. However, with 99 goals in 111 appearances, the still razor-sharp Ronaldo has committed himself to the club till 2027. With the legend still there, Al-Nassr is going all out to strengthen their team and launch a formidable challenge in Saudi Arabia and Asia this season.
The first change was at the helm by appointing Portuguese Jorge Jesus as Manager. The 70-year-old with massive experience in coaching and tactical acumen was the need of the hour for Al-Nassr.
Three major signings followed Jorge Jesus. Inigo Martinez joined Al-Nassr from Barcelona as a free agent, after mutually ending his relationship with the Spanish Club. Martinez, who has been a centre-back of some repute, will provide solidity to Al-Nassr’s defence, with Sultan Al-Ghannam and Nawaf Al-Boushal.
Joao Felix, a fine Portuguese player and a regular with the National Team, was a tremendous buy for Al-Nassr from Chelsea. Leaving the English Club and coming to Saudi Arabia at just 25 years of age was a tough call for Felix, but the presence of Ronaldo went a long way in making the decision. Chelsea, though, were happy with a 43.7 million pounds exchange.
The third major transfer was Frenchman Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich. A tremendous player, Coman has thorough credentials to light up proceedings in the Saudi Pro League. The arrival of Luis Diaz to Munich and his falling behind in coach Vincent Kompany’s pecking order might have been a strong reason for Coman’s departure from Munich, on a 30 million euro deal.
The arrival of Felix and Coman with Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in company makes Al-Nassr an extremely dangerous team upfront. With the defence taken care of and Marcelo Brozovic in the Centre, Al-Nassr looks a complete side. It is up to the team now to put everything together and win the Saudi Pro League.
No wonder, this could well be Al-Nassr’s year and Cristiano Ronaldo’s swan song.
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