Al Nassr FC
Al Nassr Football Club (Arabic: نادي النصر السعودي; Naṣr meaning Victory) is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yellow and blue.
| Full name | Al Nassr Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Al-Aalami (The Worldwide) Faris Najd (Knights of Najd) |
| Founded | 24 October 1955[1] |
| Captain | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| President | Musalli Al-Muammar |
| Head coach | Rudi Garcia |
| League | Pro League |
| 2021–22 | Pro League, 3rd of 16 |
| Website | Club website |
| Current season | |
Al Nassr is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 28 championships in all competitions, 27 of which are official championships.[2]
At domestic level, the club has won nine Premier League titles, six King's Cups, three Crown Prince's Cups, three Federation Cups and two Saudi Super Cups. At international level, they have won two GCC Champions Leagues and earned a historic Asian double in 1998 by claiming both the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup. The club gained international attention in late 2022 when Cristiano Ronaldo signed for the club on a two and a half year deal, after leaving former club Manchester United via mutual consent.[3]
History
Beginnings and triumphs (1955–1989)
Al Nassr was established in 1955 by Al-Ja’ba brothers. Training took place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah west of Al-Fotah Garden where there was a small football field and a small room to store balls and 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 till his death. His love of the team made him accept the challenge of being the president of a second division club and turning it to a champion and for that reason he is known as [Al Nassr Godfather] they were promoted to the first division in 1963. During the 1970s and 1980s, the club won four Saudi Premier League titles, six King's Cups, three Crown Prince Cups and three Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Herafy and Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan.
90s era (1989–2002)
In the 1990s, Al Nassr won two further Saudi Premier League titles, a King's Cup and a Federation Cup. They also had success in several international tournaments, winning two GCC Champions Leagues, one Asian Cup Winners' Cup and one Asian Super Cup. As a champion of Asian Super Cup, Al-Nassr FC represented the AFC region in the first FIFA Club World Cup in Brazil in 2000. In the competition Al Nassr played against Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca, and finished 3rd in the group. Al Nassr won the competition's Fair Play award.
Setbacks (2003–2007)
After the Golden Trio's retirement, Al Nassr went into some major setbacks. In 2006–07, the club only avoided relegation on the last day of the season, which prompted honorary members of the club to begin an effective long-term plan, to revolutionize management and team members.
Recent resurgence (2008–present)
After a major overhaul of playing staff, Al Nassr went on to win the Federation Cup 2008 against city rivals, Al Hilal. The club finished third in 2009–10 securing Asian Champions League football for the following season. In 2011–12, Al Nassr saw itself on the King Cup's final, only to finish as a runners-up, and in 2012–13, Al Nassr continued its steady steps into returning to the Saudi giant it once was, where it reached the Crown Prince Cup final, only to lose to Al Hilal on penalties.
In 2013–14, Al Nassr finally achieved its long-term goal of returning to crowning stages, by earning an impressive double against city rivals Al Hilal in both league and Crown Prince cups. The team subsequently qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League following the astonishing accomplishment.
In the 2014–15 season, Al Nassr continued defending the title as holding champion, by winning the league, and reaching the King's Cup final, as well as qualifying for the Crown Prince's semi-final. The identity of a returning champion still persists within club halls.
In the 2018–19 season, Al Nassr won the league, as well as making it to the King's Cup semi-finals, and the Asian Champions League quarter-finals.
In both 2020 and 2021, Al Nassr saw themselves win the Saudi Super Cup in succession, beating Al Taawoun FC 1–1 (5–4 pen.) in 2020, and beating their fierce city rivals, Al Hilal SFC, 3–0 in 2021.
On December 30, 2022, Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Portuguese player left Manchester United by mutual agreement. Ronaldo’s contract will run for two-and-a-half years until 2025, with a total salary of €200 million per year, thought to be the highest salary ever paid to a professional footballer.[4] He made an immediate impact on the global following of the club, with their Instagram account growing from 860,000 followers before his move to over 10 million followers less than a week later.[5]
Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing into Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr national team attracted a mix of reactions, especially concerning the exceptions that the Gulf nation was ready to make for the football star. The Portuguese player has been in a long-term relationship with his Argentine-born Spanish model girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez. The Islamic laws practiced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forbid “cohabitation without a marriage contract,” overlooking which, the Saudi government apparently agreed to make an exception for the footballer and his girlfriend, as per some experts, who claim that the country was willing to overlook any legal complications brought along with Ronaldo’s transfer.[6]
Crest and colors
Al Nassr 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 colors. Yellow for the sand of the Arabian deserts, and blue for the water in the Arabian Sea, the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. Recently the old logo has been replaced by a "more modern version", but still is 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.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt main sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2006–2008 | Lotto | Al-Jawal |
| 2008–2010 | STC | |
| 2010–2012 | Nike | |
| 2012–2013 | NFC | |
| 2013–2014 | Nassrawi.com | |
| 2014–2017 | Mobily | |
| 2017–2018 | New Balance | None |
| 2018–2021 | Victory | Etihad Airways |
| 2021–2022 | Lebara | |
| 2022– | Duneus | Shurfah |
Players
As of 7 January 2023
Unregistered players
| No | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | GK | David Ospina | Colombia |
| 45 | MF | Abdulfattah Asiri | Saudi Arabia |
| 58 | DF | Aser Hawsawi | Saudi Arabia |
| — | DF | Mohammed Qassem | Saudi Arabia |
| — | MF | Khalid Haqawi | Saudi Arabia |
| — | FW | Muhannad Barah | Saudi Arabia |
Out on loan
| No | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | DF | Mansour Al-Shammari (on loan to Al-Ahli) | Saudi Arabia |
| 28 | DF | Kim Jin-su (on loan to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) | South Korea |
| 52 | MF | Khalil Al-Absi (on loan to Al-Tai) | Saudi Arabia |
| 53 | MF | Sultan Al-Anazi (on loan to Al-Qaisumah) | Saudi Arabia |
| 54 | MF | Basil Al-Sayyali (on loan to Al-Hazem) | Saudi Arabia |
| 57 | GK | Raed Ozaybi (on loan to Al-Faisaly) | Saudi Arabia |
| 86 | DF | Nawaf Al-Mutairi (on loan to Al-Orobah) | Saudi Arabia |
| — | GK | Abdulrahman Al-Shammari (on loan to Najran) | Saudi Arabia |
| — | MF | Mukhtar Ali (on loan to Al-Tai) | Saudi Arabia |
| — | MF | Nawaf Al-Osaimi (on loan to Al-Arabi) | Saudi Arabia |
| — | FW | Abdulfattah Adam (on loan to Abha) | Saudi Arabia |
Personnel
Current technical staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Rudi Garcia |
| Assistant Coach | Claude Fichaux |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Guido Nanni |
| Athletic Coach | Manuel De Maria |
| Video Analyst | Alexandre Kerveillant |
| Sporting Director | Goran Vučević |
Board members
| Office | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Musalli Al-Muammar |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Member of the Board, Executive Director | Ahmed Ghamdi |
| Member of the Board, Secretary-General | Muhammad Al-Musbil |
| Member of the Board, Treasurer | Muhammad Al-Shanifi |
| Member of the Board | Muhammad Al-Shetawi |
| Member of the Board | Turki Al-Shweier |
| Member of the Board | Ibrahim Al-Deghether |
| Member of the Board | AbdulKarim Al Mansour |
| Member of the Board | Majed Al-Jam'an |
| Member of the Board, Director of the Media and Communication Dept. | Abdulrahman Al-Shehri |
| Member of the Board, Director of Football |
Former coaches
- Ahmed Al-Joker (1960–62)
- Ahmied Abdullah (1962–65)
- Lamaat Qatna (1966–67)
- Abdulmajid Tarnah (1967–69)
- Hassan Sultan (1969–70)
- Zaki Osman (1971)
- Mimi Abdulmajid (1972)
- Hassan Khairi (1973–74)
- Mahmoud Abu Rojeila (1975)
- Vivas (1976)
- Ljubiša Broćić (1976–79)
- Chico Formiga (1980–81)
- Mário Zagallo (1981)
- Francisco Sarno (1983)
- José Chira (1983)
- Carpergiani (1983–84)
- Robert Herbin (1985–86)
- Billy Bingham (1987–88)
- Joel Santana (1988–89)
- Yousef Khamis (1989, 1995, 2000, 2006)
- Claudio Deorati (1990)
- Nasser Al-Johar (1990–91, 1993)
- Dragoslav Šekularac (1992)
- Qadies (1992–93)
- Majed Abdullah (1993)
- Jean Fernandez (1993–94, 1995–96), 1998)
- Henri Michel (1995)
- Ilie Balaci (1996–97)
- Dimitar Penev (1997)
- Dušan Uhrin (1997–98)
- Dutra (1998–99)
- Procópio Cardoso (1999)
- Milan Živadinović (2000)
- Artur Jorge (2000–01)
- Héctor Núñez (2001)
- Salih Al-Mutlaq (2001)
- Jorge Habegger (2001–02, 2006–07)
- Julio Asad (2002–03)
- Ljubiša Tumbaković (2003)
- Mircea Rednic (2004)
- Mohsen Saleh (2004)
- Dimitar Dimitrov (2004–05)
- Mariano Barreto (2005–06)
- Khalid Al-Koroni (2006)
- Artur Jorge (2006)
- Ednaldo Patrício (2007)
- Foeke Booy (2007)
- Julio Asad (2007)
- Rodion Gačanin (2008)
- Edgardo Bauza (2009)
- Jorge da Silva (2009–10, 2014–15)
- Walter Zenga (2010)
- Dragan Skočić (2011)
- Gustavo Costas (2011)
- Ali Kmeikh (2011)
- Francisco Maturana (2011–12)
- José Daniel Carreño (2012–14, 2018)
- Raúl Caneda (2014)
- René Higuita (interim) (2015, 2016)
- Fabio Cannavaro (2016)
- Raúl Caneda (2016)
- Zoran Mamić (2016–17)
- Patrice Carteron (2017)
- Ricardo Gomes (2017)
- Gustavo Quinteros (2017–18)
- Hélder (interim) (2018–19)
- Rui Vitória (2019–20)
- Alen Horvat (2020–21)
- Mano Menezes (2021)
- Pedro Emanuel (2021)
- Miguel Ángel Russo (2021–22)
- Rudi Garcia (2022–)
Presidential history
| No | Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeid Al-Ja'ba | 1955 | 1956 |
| 2 | Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed | 1956 | 1960 |
| 3 | Mohammed Asaad Al-Wehaibi | 1960 | 1960 |
| 4 | Mohammed Ahmed Al-Odaini | 1960 | 1960 |
| 5 | Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 1960 | 1969 |
| 6 | Prince Sultan bin Saud | 1969 | 1975 |
| 7 | Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 1975 | 1997 |
| 8 | Prince Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 1997 | 2000 |
| 9 | Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 2000 | 2005 |
| 10 | Prince Mamdouh bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 2005 | 2006 |
| 11 | Prince Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud | 2006 | 2009 |
| 12 | Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser | 2009 | 2017 |
| 13 | Musalli Al-Muammar | 2018 |
Honours
Al-Nassr have won a combined total of 27 championship . The club holds various domestic and international records.[7] The club is recognized by FIFA as the first Asian club to play on an international level, as well as the first club in the world to win the FIFA Fair Play Award in the FIFA Club World Cup.[8][9] On a continental level, Al-Nassr appeared on 4 Asian finals, with two victories, and two times as runners-up.[10][11][12]
National titles
International titles
- Asian Cup Winners' Cup
- Asian Super Cup
- Winners (1): 1998
- AFC Champions League
- Runners-up (1): 1995
- GCC Champions League
Records and statistics
League Records
|
|
Asian Record
Overview
- As of 26 April 2021
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League | 58 | 27 | 15 | 16 | 84 | 63 |
| Asian Cup Winners' Cup | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 17 |
| Asian Super Cup | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 74 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 104 | 81 |
Matches
Key: PO – Play-off round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;
- Notes
Top scorers in Asian competitions
| Player | Country | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Morocco | 16 |
| 2 | Giuliano | Brazil | 8 |
| 3 | Fahad Al-Huraifi | Saudi Arabia | 7 |
| 4 | Ohene Kennedy | Ghana | 5 |
| Bader Al-Mutawa | Kuwait | ||
| 6 | Waleed Al-Torair | Saudi Arabia | 4 |
International records
Internationally, Al-Nassr boasts many appearances, both in the Arab world and on the international scale. In 1996 and 1997, Al-Nassr won the GCC Champions League twice in a row, and ran for runners-up in 2008. Al-Nassr appeared in Syria's international tournament, the Damascus International Championship in 2004, and won. Al-Nassr also had successful appearances in Emirati international tournaments, such the Bani Yas International Tournament, winning it two times in 2011 and 2013, as well as winning Al-Wehda International Cup in 2012. Other UAFA participations include a single appearance in the Arab Cup Winners' Cup in the year 2000, as well as the Arab Super Cup in 2001. The club reached finals on both occasions, only to finish course as runners-up, with the two cups going defunct ever since.
2000 FIFA Club World Cup
Winning the Asian Super Cup in 1998 allowed Al-Nassr to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. In doing so, they became the first team to officially represent Asia in an international tournament, which was held in Brazil from 5 January till 14 January, in the year 2000. The nickname "The International Club" was obtained following their respective participation in the Club World Cup. Al-Nassr won the FIFA Fair play award following the end of the Club World Cup, and were the first team in the world to win such an award.[9]
Al-Nassr were drawn in Group A along with Corinthians (tournament champion), Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca.
Al-Nassr results
| Raja Casablanca | 3–4 | Al-Nassr |
|---|---|---|
| Nejjary 13' El Moubarki 81' El Karkouri 87' | Amin 3' Bahja 48' Al-Bishi 50' Saïb 87' |
| Al-Nassr | 0–2 | Corinthians |
|---|---|---|
| Ricardinho 24' Rincón 81' |
Group A final standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corinthians | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
| Real Madrid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 |
| Al-Nassr | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 |
| Raja Casablanca | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 0 |
Participating squad
| Number | Player | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||
| 1 | Mansoor Al-Qahtani | ||||
| 22 | Mohammed Al-Khojali | ||||
| 9 | Mohamed Shareefy | ||||
| Defenders | |||||
| 2 | Nasser Al Halawi | ||||
| 5 | Smahi Triki | ||||
| 4 | Saleh Aboshahin | ||||
| 12 | Hamad Al Khathran | ||||
| 16 | Abdulaziz Al-Janoubi | ||||
| 20 | Mohsin Harthi | ||||
| 21 | Hadi Sharify | ||||
| 23 | Ibrahim Al Shokia | ||||
| Midfielders | |||||
| 3 | Faisal Al Dosari | ||||
| 6 | Ibrahim Al-Harbi | ||||
| 8 | Fahad Al-Bishi | ||||
| 10 | Fuad Amin | ||||
| 14 | Nassib Al Ghamdi | ||||
| 17 | Mansour Al-Mousa | ||||
| 18 | Abdullah Al Karni | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| 7 | Fahad Al-Mehallel | ||||
| 11 | Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan | ||||
| 13 | Ahmed Bahja | ||||
| 15 | Nahar Al Dhaferi | ||||
| 19 | Moussa Saïb | ||||
| Manager | |||||
| Milan Živadinović | |||||
Notable players
Note: this list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.
References
- ^ . Al Nassr FC. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ . Al Nassr FC. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ "Official: Cristiano Ronaldo completes move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr". CNBC. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo: Former Manchester United forward signs for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Al-Nassr now boast more Instagram followers than every Premier League club outside 'Big Six' after Cristiano Ronaldo's move sparked incredible increase". TalkSport. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ "Welcome to your new home: Saudi sports minister welcomes Cristiano Ronaldo". Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Abdulaziz, Al Sharif. "39 tournaments". Sabq Media Group. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ "FIFA Club World Cup 2000". FIFA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ a b Pierrend, José. . The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Champions' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Cup Winners' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Halchuk, Stephen. . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- the-afc.com
- Saudi Arabian football federation