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Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a note of gratitude to Luis Castro after Al-Nassr sacked the 63-year-old manager on September 17, 2024. The Portuguese tactician replaced Dinko Jelicic as Al-Nassr's coach in the summer of 2023, managing the Saudi outfit for 54 matches with an average of 2.17 points per game.
The decision to sack Castro has come after a poor start to the season by Al-Nassr. Ronaldo's side are currently seventh in the Saudi Pro League table, with just five points in three league games (one win and two draws).
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Before that, Al-Nassr were dominated by league rivals Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final. Despite a first-half goal by Ronaldo (44'), Al-Hilal scored four goals in 17 minutes (55', 63', 69', and 72') to end the match 4-1.
Posting a picture of the two on his Instagram Story, Cristiano Ronaldo shared a note of gratitude for the Portuguese manager.
"Thank you for everything," the Al-Nassr captain wrote.
Al-Nassr won the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup under Castro's tutelage, defeating Al-Hilal by a margin of 2-1. Ronaldo scored both goals (74' and 98') to bring glory to the Knights of Najd. However, they could not replicate the same prowess in the Saudi Pro League, losing the trophy to Al-Hilal by 14 points in 2023-24.
Castro is the third manager to depart since the arrival of Ronaldo in January 2023. Former AS Roma tactician Rudi Garcia was relieved of his duties on April 12, 2023. He was replaced by Dinko Jelicic, who held his position for just 78 days before the club appointed Luis Castro on July 6, 2023.
Former AC Milan boss set to become the new manager of Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al-Nassr
According to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Stefano Pioli is set to replace Luis Castro as the new manager of Al-Nassr. The Italian was close to signing for Al-Ittihad in the summer, only for the deal to fall apart after the resignation of President Loay Nazer. Now, he is set to manage their rivals, Al-Nassr.
The 58-year-old has spent almost his entire managerial career in his native Italy, managing high-profile clubs like AC Milan (2019-2024), Fiorentina (2017-2019), Inter Milan (2016-2017), and Lazio (2014-2016) among others.
In his latest managerial stint, Pioli helped AC Milan get back to their old glory, winning the long-awaited Scudetto with the Italian giants in the 2021-22 season. That season also saw Pioli winning the Serie A Coach of the Season Award.
The Italian coach has been without a club since leaving AC Milan in May 2024 and is reportedly seen as a right fit to help Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr get out of their ongoing trophy drought.
