SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Cristiano Ronaldo could reunite with either Mourinho or Zidane at Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have been linked with management heavyweights Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho to replace Rudi Garcia as their new head coach.
The Saudi Arabian club parted with their boss days after a disappointing draw with Al Feiha last time out left them three points adrift of Al-Ittihad atop the Saudi Pro League table.
It also comes after reports of frustrations in the Al-Nassr dressing room at the coach’s training methods, with Ronaldo reportedly unhappy at the team’s tactics.
The former Manchester United forward is now said to have helped identify Mourinho and Zidane as the two top targets. Ronaldo worked with both while playing for Real Madrid.
CBS Sports reports ambitions are high in Riyadh about who their next coach could be. Zidane has received a verbal offer, with Ronaldo involved in the negotiations, while Al-Nassr have also expressed interest in Roma’s Mourinho.
Ronaldo starred under both Mourinho and Zidane in Spain. He scored 280 goals in 278 matches at Real Madrid during their combined tenures at the Bernabeu, winning three Champions League titles and two Spanish league championships during that time.
Fenerbahce boss Jorge Jesus and former River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo are also on Al-Nassr’s shortlist. In the meantime, under-19 head coach Dinko Jelicic is interim boss for Tuesday’s match against Al-Hilal.
-MEN
Former Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro is on the line to coach Saudi Arabia Pro League first tier team, Al Riyadh.
Information from the oil rich country indicate that Peseiro who had previously coached the Saudi Arabia national team is one of the two being considered to replace Odair Hellmann at the Saudi club which placed 14th at the end of last season.
It is gathered that Peseiro has a competitor in Spanish cooach, Javier Pereira who is also lineup for the job.
Peseiro had previously managed Al Hilal in 2006 and later coached the Saudi national team during their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Al Nasr’s Cristiano Ronaldo capped his first full Saudi Pro League season in style as he broke the record for the most goals scored in one campaign on Monday.
The Portuguese 39-year-old scored a brace in his side’s 4-2 win over Al Ittihad on the final matchday to bring his league tally this season to 35 goals.
The previous record was held by former Al Nasr forward and Moroccan international Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 34 goals in 2018-19.
Ronaldo, who played for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, joined Al Nasr in January 2023.
-Reuters
Undefeated Al-Hilal won a record-extending 19th Saudi Pro League title on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over Al-Hazem to reclaim the trophy from Al-Ittihad who won it last season.
Jorge Jesus’ side hold a 12-point advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in second with three matches remaining.
Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al-Hilal the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes but Faiz Selemani netted the equaliser for Al-Hazem in the 34th minute.
However, Jesus’s side took the lead again with an own goal from Ahmed Al-Juwaid in the 39th minute.
Mitrovic scored again in first-half stoppage time and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored three minutes later to make it 4-1.
Al-Hilal are chasing the treble having clinched the Saudi Super Cup title in April, and having reached the Saudi King’s Cup final where they will play Al-Nassr.
-Reuters
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