Saudi Pro League club, Al Nassr, have appointed Portuguese Coach, Luis Castro, as the club’s new manager less than three months after sacking French tactician, Rudi Garcia.
Luis Castro is Cristiano Ronaldo’s third manager at Al Nassr, having failed to win the Saudi Pro League despite bringing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to the club in January.
After a disappointing end to their 2022–23 season, the Saudi Arabian side fired Rudi Garcia in April. He is now the manager of Italian champions Napoli.
Al-Nassr thought a change in the dugout was necessary as results started to deteriorate and title glory slipped from their grasp. However, Rudi Garcia’s departure didn’t change the fate of the club as they finished second behind the league’s champions Al-Ittihad.
Goal.com reported that when talks between Al Nassr and Luis Castro started, there were reports that Cristiano Ronaldo recommended the veteran tactician to the Saudi club. The 38-year-old Portuguese footballer also reportedly influenced the sack of Garcia.
From next season, Luis Castro will be in charge of the Riyadh-based club. The 61-year-old coach has extensive coaching experience having managed various big names in the football space and most recently worked in Brazil at Botafogo.
Castro has played with Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk in the past and he is expected to get along well with Ronaldo since they are both Portuguese.
