Welcome to Al Nasr. At 37, Cristiano Ronaldo, left without a club since the termination of his contract with Manchester United, is going to live a golden early retirement in Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the capital of the emirate, the five-time Golden Ball will be useful. The Portuguese will indeed find many ex-players who grew up in Europe and will be led by Frenchman Rudy Garcia.
Al-Nasr, what is it?
Founded in 1955, Al Nasr is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia with 27 trophies in all competitions. The Yellow and Blues have won nine Premier League titles, six King’s Cups, three Crown Prince’s Cups, three Fed Cups and two Saudi Super Cups. Internationally, the Saudis have won two Gulf Champions Leagues and achieved a historic double in Asia in 1998, as well as winning the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup.
Within a few months, the club had attracted many free-from-contract players who played in Europe. Last summer, two former Marseilles Alvaro Gonzalez and Luis Gustavo, ex-Nisua David Ospina or Remois Ghislain Conan took the plunge. And, in particular, joins the Brazilian Talisca, who arrived in 2021. Rudi Garcia can also rely on six Saudi Arabian internationals who were part of the national team’s greatest feat during the last World Cup in neighboring Qatar, with a resounding 2-1 victory over Argentina on 21 November. The ex-coach of Lille, Marseille or Rome is not the only Khabs who sat on the bench.
Robert Erbin (1985-1986), Jean Fernandez (1993-1994, 1995-1996), Henri Michel (1995) and Patrice Carteron (2017) have already been there. Having lost momentum and unable to afford a national title since the 2018-2019 season (Al-Hilal is a three-time defending champion), Al-Nasr intends to restart the car this season. Ten days later, the team is two points behind leaders Al Shabab.
What is the Saudi Arabian championship worth?
On the edge of the desert, CR7 is not going to experience the thrill of the Champions League every weekend. More like Ligue 2. “But this transfer shows that Saudi Arabia is serious about football. They are trying to strengthen the championship,” says Gary Neville, an English television consultant who has difficulty understanding the choice of his former Manchester United teammate. “There are seven foreigners in each team. The Saudi Arabian Championship is of a very high standard and is often played in full stadiums. Tunisian Naim Sliti made the team before joining Al-Ettifak, who is coached by Patrice Carteron. I believe that he is stronger than in Qatar or the United Arab Emirates. »
The destination is, in any case, the new El Dorado that Qatar was fifteen years ago. “Life in Riyadh with families has been a pleasant surprise for the players, with schools and everything we have here,” Marcelo Salazar, sporting director of Al Nasr, recently let slip. Added to this is a high level of sports…”
What is the emergence of CR7?
The arrival of a planetary star in this territory with a population of 35 million, the largest economy in the Arab world, goes beyond football. In a country where oil money continues to flow freely, the golden bridge made by the Portuguese is a real added value in terms of image. For years, Saudi Arabia, dreaming of hosting the 2030 World Cup and the 2036 Olympic Games, has sought to exist on the international stage through sports.
Thus, the Emirate hosts Dakar, which starts on December 31, an exemplary tennis tournament with inflated prizes (a million dollars for the winner of three matches), a Formula 1 Grand Prix, another MotoGP, etc. A country with a desert climate was even entrusted with … organizing Asian Winter Games 2029. Telegraph. We are convinced that we have many of the qualities, values and experience needed to run any competition…”
Convinced that sport can change the image of their country, the leaders have bid to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. A minor event for a country where, until 2017, women weren’t allowed to enter stadiums.
Source: Le Parisien
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a keen interest in sports and have written for many different publications. I am currently working as an author at 24 News Recorder. I cover mostly sports news but also write about other topics such as current affairs and politics. I have a strong interest in social media and how it can be used to engage with audiences.
