Al-Nassr FC Managers

Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated in every season of the highest-tier Saudi leagues since their inception. In addition to football, Al-Nassr is a multi-sports club with teams in various sports, including handball, basketball, esports, volleyball, and more, catering to both men and women of all ages.

Al-Nassr has won 28 official titles across multiple competitions. In domestic competitions, they have claimed the Saudi top tier league 9 times, three Crown Prince's Cup titles, and three Saudi Federation Cup titles. They have also won 6 King's Cup titles and two Super Cup titles. At the continental level, the club earned an Asian double in 1998 by winning both the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup. At the regional level, Al-Nassr won two GCC Club Championship titles and one Arab Club Champions Cup title.

The club has a long-standing rivalry with city rivals Al-Hilal, whom they contest the Riyadh derby with, the most followed match in the country.

Al-Nassr signed global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023, a move that has been credited with revolutionizing Saudi Arabian football. Ronaldo's presence in the country has been hailed as a cultural phenomenon, setting the stage for numerous top-level European league players to join the Saudi Pro League, while also generating significant exposure for Saudi Arabian football.

Al-Nassr has also played a key role in the success of the Saudi Arabia national football team at both the continental and regional levels. The all-time leading goal scorer for the national team is Majed Abdullah, an Al-Nassr player and legend who was developed in the club's youth sector, along with many other prominent names in Saudi football.

The club's mascot is "Knight," which represents the historic Knights of Najd. Al-Nassr has a market value of €144 million as of 2024, the third-highest in Saudi Arabia.

History

Beginnings and triumphs (1955–1989)

Al Nassr was established in 1955 by the Al-Ja'ba brothers. Training took place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah, west shirts. In addition to the Al-Ja'ba brothers, Ali and Al-Owais, Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud Al Saud became the head of Al Nassr, he spent more than 39 years as the president for 3 stints until his death. His love of the team made him accept the challenge of being the president of a second-division club and turning it into a champion, and therefore, he is known as Al-Nassr's Godfather. They were promoted to the first division in 1963. During the 1970s and 1980s, the club won one Categorization League and three Saudi Premier League titles, Five King's Cups, two Crown Prince's Cups, and one Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Bishi and Mohaisen Al-Jam'an.

The End of Majed Abdullah Era (1989–2000)

In the 1990s (year), Al Nassr managed to win two further Saudi Premier League titles in the 1993–1994 and 1994–1995 seasons, the 1990 King's Cup and the 1997–1998 Federation Cup. Towards the end of Majed Abdullah's career, he still wasn't able to lift the ultimate prize in UAFA region; the Arab Club Champions Cup while the other top clubs in Saudi already succeeded in doing this. Despite that, Al Nassr managed to triumph in the continental tournaments. The 37-year-old striker, Majed Abdullah at the time, managed to win two GCC Club Cups, one Asian Cup Winners' Cup and one Asian Super Cup. Majed Abdullah announced his retirement on 12 April 1998 following Al-Nassr's win in the 1998 Asian Cup Winner's Cup against Suwon Samsung Bluewings from South Korea in front of fans in Riyadh. Majed retired at 39 years old as the all-time top scorer of the Saudi League with 189 goals and is also Al-Nassr's all-time top scorer with 260 goals, a record that was considered untouchable until the coming of Abderrazak Hamdallah.

After becoming champion of the Asian Super Cup, Al-Nassr was eligible to represent the AFC region in the first FIFA Club World Cup. In that championship Al-Nassr played against Corinthians, Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca and finished 3rd in the group, the club became the first team to officially represent Asia in an international tournament, which was held in Brazil from 5 January to 14 January, in the year 2000. The nickname "''The Global One (Al-Alami)''" was obtained following their respective participation in the Club World Cup. Al Nassr won the FIFA Fair Play Award and 6th place following the end of the Club World Cup and was the first team in the world to win the award.

Participating squad in the world Cup

Slow Decline (2001–2007)

After the Golden Trio's retirement, Al Nassr's fresh squad at the time made an impressive performance during their first run in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Club then went on to sign some internationally recognized players, such as Ivory Coast's Fadel Keïta and former Barcelona Attacking Midfielder Julio César Baldivieso.

Despite the expensive signings at the time, Al-Nassr failed to keep their position in the league and soon received some major setbacks. Things got worse as the next season went by. In 2006–07, the club only managed to avoid relegation on their last day of the season, which prompted honorary members, including Majed Abdullah, to intervene. Their plan was to begin an effective long-term plan to restructure the management this period was called the Great Setback as the club at the time lost its place in the top during this period rivals Al-Hilal got more wins against Al-Nassr then ever before and broke the record for most wins in the derby which was held by Al-Nassr for many years.

Recent resurgence (2008–2015)

After a major overhaul of playing staff, Al Nassr went on to win the Federation Cup 2008 against city rivals, Al-Hilal. In the next season, Al Nassr made a record-breaking transfer by signing young Mohammad Al-Sahlawi from Al-Qadsiah in 2009 for SR32 million ($8 million) fee, breaking Yasser Al-Qahtani's record transfer to Al-Hilal from the same team as Sahlawi.

Newly reformed Al Nassr put lots of hope on their young striker's shoulders. In his first season with Al-Nassr, Al-Sahlawi scored 21 goals in 36 matches and received the Young Player of the Year award from STC. However, the club only finished third in 2009–10. Despite that, Al Nassr were eligible to secure a place in the AFC Champions League for the following season.

Bader Al-Mutawa finest hours

Their second match in the 2011 AFC Champions League were against Uzbekistan club Pakhtakor, which resulted in a 2–2 draw with the decisive goal coming from Bader Al-Mutawa, a loaned player from a Kuwaiti club who was also part of the Kuwaiti military. In the second match against Esteghlal, Al Nassr managed to secure their first 3 points by winning 2–1, with Hussein Abdulghani scoring. In the third match, Al Nassr was defeated by Al-Sadd with them scoring 1 goal by Lee Jung-Soo.

Once again Al Nassr was pitted against Al-Sadd from Qatar with Abdulghani clutching 1 goal to force a draw result. In the fifth match however, Al Nassr secured a big victory against Pakhtakor with Saud Hamood and Sahlawi each scoring 1 goal, while Al-Mutawa scored 2 goals. In the final group stage game, Al Nassr were beaten by Esteghlal 2–1 with Al-Mutawa scoring for the club again. Al Nassr narrowly avoided elimination by getting 2nd position in their group.

In the round of sixteen however, Al Nassr's dream to win a continental competition again since the time of Majed Abdullah perished when Zob Ahan defeated Al Nassr 4–1, with Bader once again listing his name in goal chart. Shortly after the continental campaign was over, Bader chose to depart to Kuwait to return to his club and resume military duties. In his short time with Al Nassr, he managed to make a good record by scoring 5 goals, one of the top ten highest scorers in AFC during 2011.

2010 to 2015 Season

In 2010–12, Al Nassr saw itself in the King's Cup. In the 2010–12 season, the Al Nassr coach, Francisco Maturana, aimed for the club to become the Saudi giant it once was. Once again Al Nassr were denied to become champions in the final of the Crown Prince Cup match, where Al-Hilal defeated them in a penalty shootout.

In the 2013–14 season, the club coach was replaced with Jose Daniel Carreno. Al Nassr then went on a 22-game win streak without defeat and almost won a treble by winning both the Pro League and Crown Prince's cup against city rivals Al-Hilal. this secured their place in the 2015 AFC Champions League following the astonishing season.

The Age of the 3 Strikers (2015–2022)

The 2010s marked the growth of football in most Asian countries, both in league quality and their national teams. The AFC Champions League also started to spark interest among football enthusiasts worldwide.

In the 2014–15 season, Al Nassr continued to defend their title as champions, winning the league. However, the team failed to achieve their treble after losing in the King's Cup final and only reaching the semi-final of the Crown Prince Cup. Many fans felt let down by the club after losing in the group stage of the AFC Champions League against Bunyodkor, Al-Duhail, and Persepolis.

Al-Sahlawi, who was 27 years old at the time, managed to score 25 goals from his 37 appearances that season. For these reasons, the coach was replaced by former Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita. Even with him training the team, Al Nassr still failed to make an impact in the AFC Champions League. After being defeated by Al-Duhail and Zob Ahan, Al Nassr finally defeated Bunyodkor in consecutive matches.

The start of the 2016–17 season marked the transfer of two Croatian players to the club: Ivan Tomecak and Marin Tomasov, who were loaned to Al Nassr. Abdullah Madu, a new center-back at the time, also began playing with the club. However, that season, the club only finished in 3rd position in the Pro League, behind their rival Al-Ahli and city rival Al-Hilal.

Al Nassr only finished second in the Crown Prince Cup that season, losing to Al Hilal once again. They were also runners-up to Al Ahli in the final of the King's Cup. Al Nassr failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2017 and the AFC Champions League 2018. In the 2015–16 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 10 goals in his 29 appearances. In the 2016–17 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 11 goals in 27 appearances, and in the next season, he scored 12 goals from 24 appearances.

Al Nassr's coach Gustavo Quinteros from Bolivia decided to sign wingback, Sultan Al-Ghannam on 12 March 2018 for a free transfer from Al-Faisaly. Ghannam quickly proved his talent by becoming a key player in both defense and offense. The club also signed two of the best Moroccan players at the time, Abderrazak Hamdallah and Nordin Amrabat. Both of them joined the Saudi Pro League on 16 July and 23 August 2018.

Hamdallah, nicknamed "The Executioner," proved himself to be a menace when he made his debut against Al-Qadsiah, making two assists. In his second match, he scored his first goal for the club against Al-Taawoun. After this, Al-Sahlawi's position as the club's favorite striker began to shift toward Hamdallah as the former Chinese Super League star adapted to his teammates. The Moroccan forward broke records in the league since it became professional in 2007 and carried his team to qualify for the 2019 AFC Champions League by defeating FK AGMK.

In the 2019 AFC Champions League, Al Nassr secured second position in the group stage, just below Zob Ahan, and advanced past the round of sixteen with Hamdallah scoring. In the quarter-finals, Al Nassr was defeated by Al-Sadd 4–3. Hamdallah scored 4 goals in the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Despite a poor start due to a previous ankle injury, Hamdallah ended his first season in the Saudi Pro League as the top scorer, impressively scoring 34 goals. By this time, Hamdallah had completely replaced Al Sahlawi as the main striker.

In the 2018–19 season, he won the league title with his team and scored a record 34 goals, alongside his teammate Nordin Amrabat. He scored in the final match against Al-Batin. On 3 January 2019, Hamdallah scored his first hat-trick for the club against Al-Jandal in the Round of 64 of the 2019 King's Cup.

Ten days later, he scored a super hat-trick against Al-Ansar. He scored consecutive super hat-tricks against Al-Fayha in the Round of 16. On 27 April 2019, Hamdallah scored a double in a 4–2 loss in the semi-final against Al-Ittihad in the 2019 King Cup. By the end of 2019, Hamdallah managed to surpass several stars such as Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi to become the world's top scorer, as noted by IFFHS, after reaching 57 goals in the year. Al Sahlawi also left the club to join Al-Shabab.

On 4 January 2020, Hamdallah scored in a 1–1 draw against Al-Taawoun to win the 2019 Saudi Super Cup. On 30 January 2021, Hamdallah scored in a 3–0 victory against rivals Al-Hilal to win the 2020 Saudi Super Cup.

2020 AFC Champions League campaign

Al Nassr was eligible to join the 2020 AFC Champions after winning one of the domestic cups and the league. As they entered the group stage, Al Nassr drew 2–2 with Al-Sadd from Qatar, with Hamdallah scoring one of the two goals. In the next match against Al-Ain from the UAE, Hamdallah scored again. In the third match, Hamdallah scored twice in a 2–0 win against Iranian club Sepahan, and in the next consecutive match against the same team, Hamdallah scored again and assisted his fullback teammate Abdullah Madu.

In the later match against Al-Sadd, the team drew 1–1 before a loss due to a single goal from Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba of Al-Ain. After reaching the knockout stage in the round of sixteen, Hamdallah scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Al-Taawoun. The club advanced to the next stage. Al Nassr met their old rival, Al-Ahli, in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. The Riyadh and Jeddah clubs have a long history of rivalry. Al Nassr won the "Classico" after Gonzalo Nicolas Martínez and Abdulfattah Asiri each scored a goal, with Hamdallah creating key moments for both.

However, Al Nassr lost in the semi-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout against Iranian club Persepolis, ending their dream of lifting the AFC Champions League trophy. Despite this, Hamdallah managed to win the AFC Champions League golden boot, tying with Júnior Negrão with 7 goals, but winning due to having more assists. Despite this, the manager was dissatisfied with Hamdallah's performance.

2021–2022: Season and key role of Talisca

On 23 November 2020, Al Nassr officially terminated the contract of striker Abderrazak Hamdallah. Although his contract was terminated, Hamdallah was allowed to continue playing for the remainder of his contract. Meanwhile, Al Nassr began searching for a replacement for Hamdallah, with many European players who had previously joined the Chinese Super League leaving due to stricter foreign player policies. This created an opportunity for other Asian clubs to acquire talented players at a lower cost.

Prior to joining Al Nassr, Talisca had won the 2019 Chinese Super League title with Guangzhou Evergrande. Talisca officially joined Al Nassr on 17 May 2021 for a reported transfer fee of $9.5 million. On 8 June 2021, Vincent Aboubakar, a Cameroonian striker, also signed for Al Nassr, with a reported transfer fee of $6 million. Both players made their debut for the club during the second half of the 2020–21 Saudi Pro League season.

Talisca and Aboubakar made their debuts in a 4–1 victory over Damac on 13 August 2021, with each of them, along with Hamdallah, scoring once. In the following match, Talisca scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Al-Faisaly, further solidifying his place in the team. Hamdallah played his final match for the club in a 1–0 loss to Al-Ettifaq, in which Filip Kiss scored the match-winning goal.

Jalolidin Masharipov, who had been on loan at Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE, returned to Al Nassr and made his first appearance in a 1–0 victory against Al-Fateh on 1 January 2022. Despite the team's efforts under the leadership of manager Miguel Ángel Russo, Al Nassr was unable to secure any trophies that season, leading to Russo's departure and the appointment of Rudi Garcia as head coach.

Garcia oversaw a significant squad overhaul, bringing in new players, including Villarreal full-back Álvaro González Soberon, who was a free agent at the time. With a strengthened squad, Garcia aimed for a domestic treble, Talisca scored his first hat-trick for Al Nassr in a 4–1 away win against Al-Raed, which helped him become the league's top scorer before Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.

The Ronaldo years (2023–present)

On 30 December 2022, Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese player left Manchester United by mutual agreement. Ronaldo's contract runs for two-and-a-half years until summer 2025, with a total salary of €200 million per year, thought to be the highest ever paid to a professional footballer. He made an immediate impact on the global following of the club, with their Social media accounts growing to unbelievable numbers. Al Nassr finished in second place in the 2022–23 season.

2023 Arab Club Champions Cup

On 28 July 2023, just one day after Al Nassr finished their Japan World Tour in friendly matches against Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain the Al Nassr main squad faced their opponent, Al-Shabab in the group stage of Arab Club Champions Cup which resulted in a 0–0 draw. Al Nassr's success came later when facing US Monastir, in which Ronaldo scored a goal in a 4–1 victory. In the final match in the group stage against Zamalek from Egypt, Ronaldo managed to equalize in the 87th minute securing the club their place in the next stage with a 1–1 draw.

On 6 August 2023, Al Nassr faced Raja Casablanca in the first one-legged knockout game, in which they won 3–1 to reach the next round. In the semifinal on 9 August 2023, Ronaldo secured their position in the final for the first time in the championship history after scoring a penalty against Al-Shorta from Iraq winning 1–0.

On 12 August 2023, the Arab Club Champions Cup final was played. Al Nassr who were 1–0 down to Al-Hilal picked up a red card in the 71st min. Just 3 minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo scored, making it 1–1, sending the final to extra time. With just 10 men, Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 98th minute to secure a 2–1 comeback against Al-Hilal in the final. Ronaldo finished the top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals and won the Golden Boot, while Nawaf Al-Aqidi won the Golden Glove.

End of 2023

Following the move of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2023, ex-European team players Otávio, Sadio Mané, Aymeric Laporte, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, Aziz Behich and Alex Telles joined the club.

At the end of the 2023 year, Al Nassr were 2nd in the league, trailing only Al-Hilal. They finished 1st and unbeaten in their AFC Champions League group drawing Saudi Club Al-Fayha in the Round of 16. Talisca currently sits 1st in the golden boot standings of the AFC Champions League with 8 goals in just the group stage. Al Nassr has qualified for the semi-finals of the King's Cup after beating Saudi heavyweights Al-Shabab 5–1.

2024

The IFFHS recognized Cristiano Ronaldo as the global top scorer, finishing the 2023 calendar year with 54 goals. As of February 2024, he has 30 goals in the first half of the season, scoring in every competition.

Before the second half of the season, Al Nassr were supposed to go on a tour to China facing Shanghai Shenhua on 24 January and Zhejiang Professional on 28 January but the tour was delayed and to be held in a future date. Al Nassr faced Saudi rivals, Al-Hilal and MLS side Inter Miami in the Riyadh Season Cup. The Cup ended with Al Nassr facing Al-Hilal on 8 February 2024. Al Nassr started the second half of the season with an AFC Champions League match against Saudi team Al-Fayha on 12 January.

Al Nassr were knocked out of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League by Al-Ain in the quarter finals, losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 4–3 in the second leg, which led a 4–4 aggregate to penalties, which they lost 1–3.

They also lost the King's Cup on penalties, and were Saudi Super Cup semi finalists, and finished 2nd in the league with 82 points, the highest points in the club's history. Ronaldo won the golden boot and broke the record for most goals scored in a single SPL season.
However, fans were angry after losing every domestic title and getting knocked out of the Champions League at the start of the 2024–25 season. The president Ibrahim al-Muhaidib resigned for not being given enough control over the club, and manager Luis Castro was replaced in September 2024 by Stefano Pioli. On 20 September, Al-Nassr announced the launching of a TV channel for the club under the name of " NASSR TV", in partnership with DAZN. The channel is the first of its kind in the country and the region.

2025

On January 1, 2025, Majid Al-Jam'an replaced Guido Fienga as the club's Executive Director, with Fienga becoming the club's advisor after public pressure from the supporters.

Al-Nassr Sold Seko Fofana in the winter window for €20,000,000 to the French side Rennais, making it the biggest sale outside the Saudi Pro League, although higher sales have been made within the league itself.

Crest and colours

Al Nassr (Arabic: النصر) is the Arabic word for "victory", clubs with the same name are found in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, and Libya but the Saudi Arabian club was the first to take the name.

The club's logo represents the map of Arabia with yellow and blue colours. Yellow for the sand of the Arabian deserts and blue for the water in the Arab Sea, the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. Recently, the old logo has been replaced by a "modernised" version, but it is still heavily influenced by the old club logo. The new logo only represents the football team, while the old logo represents the club as a whole.

Team colours

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Kit deals

Stadiums

Throughout its history, Al-Nassr has played in many stadiums. From 1972 until 2020, the club's home stadium was Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium. From 1987 until 2020, the club alternated its home stadium with King Fahd Sports City. In 2020, Al-Nassr moved to King Saud University Stadium: this move stirred controversy, as the stadium had been the home of their rivals, Al-Hilal, between 2018 and 2020. Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are expected to share the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium upon its planned completion in 2029.

Current squad

Other players under contract

Out on loan

Personnel

Current technical staff

Board members

Coaching history

Presidential history

Since the PIF acquired the club, the president has become more of an honorary figure, attending formal events and honoring the winners in various sectors of the club. The president no longer holds real decision-making power, with the last president to truly hold such authority being the 16th president. The current president can only advise the Executive Director, who now holds all decision-making authority.

Executive Director

Honours

Al-Nassr has won a combined total of 28 official championships and 46 overall. In Saudi football, there is a project to document the country's football history, and many clubs are seeking to add trophies won in the past to their records. Depending on the outcome of this project, Al-Nassr and other clubs may see their official trophy count increase. The club holds various domestic and international records. The club is the first Asian club to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. On a continental level, Al-Nassr has appeared in four Asian finals, with two victories and two runner-up finishes.

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* shared record

Double

* Premier League and King's cup (1) : 1980–81,1981

Records and statistics

League records

Top scorers in the league

Record in Asian Football

Al-Nassr has reached four Asian finals, winning two titles and finishing as runners-up in two others, they claimed the Asian Super Cup and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup as champions, while finishing as runners-up in the Asian Club Championship and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup.

Top scorers in Asian competitions

Matches

Key: PO – ''Play-off round''; 1R/2R – ''First/Second round''; R16 – ''Round of 16''; QF – ''Quarter-final''; SF – ''Semi-final''; H – ''Home game'';
A – ''Away game''

Record by country

International records

All–time top goalscorers

All competitions

Notable players

Youth Sector

Al Nassr youth sector is the youth set-up of Al Nassr FC, The sector operates the system for boys from the age of nine upwards including teams and an academy.

See also

* List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia
* Riyadh derby

Notes

References

External links

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fifa.com

the-afc.com

The Saudi Pro League

Saudi Arabia Football Federation

Al Nassr FC Official English Website

Saudi Arabian football federation

{{Arab Club Champions Cup winners

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