Criano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al-Nassr hires Portuguese coach Luís Castro
Criano Ronaldo got a new club coach on Thursday when Al-Nassr announced it hired his fellow Portuguese Luís Castro.
The Saudi Arabian club confirmed the appointment from a preseason training camp in Portugal. The length of the coach’s contract was not disclosed.
Castro is the latest coaching hire this week in the cash-rich Saudi Pro League, following Jorge Jesus at Al-Hilal and Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.
The 61-year-old Portuguese is best known for his two seasons in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk including home and away wins over Real Madrid in the group stage of the 2020-21 Champions League. He spent last season in Brazil with Botafogo.
It’s official : ✍️Mr. Luis Castro is the New Head Coach of @AlNassrFC 💛
Welcome Boss 🤩 pic.twitter.com/u6tdX9lbs9
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) July 6, 2023
Castro will lead Al-Nassr into a qualifying playoff for the Asian Champions League next month after the team finished runner-up last season in the Saudi Pro League. The champion Al-Ittihad was coached another Portuguese, Nuno Espírito Santo.
Al-Nassr was coached last season Frenchman Rudi Garcia then Dinko Jelicic of Croatia as an interim hire.
Al-Nassr is among four top Saudi clubs effectively nationalized last month being taking into majority ownership the sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund. PIF claims to have assets of around $700 billion and is chaired Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
