Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasr Football Club announced the dismissal of Portuguese head coach Luis Castro, signaling a new phase for the club in domestic and regional competition. The decision was shared through the club’s official X profile, ending a 14-month spell in which Castro steered the team through a demanding schedule across all competitions. Across 54 matches in all competitions, the side recorded 36 victories, 9 draws, and 9 defeats.
Al-Nasr expressed gratitude to Castro and his coaching staff for their work during their time with the club, noting the professionalism and commitment they brought to the project. The statement wished the team’s former leaders good fortune in future endeavors, while underscoring that the change aligned with the club’s evolving strategy as it advances through the current campaign.
Castro, aged 63, had been at the helm since July 2023, overseeing a period of significant squad rebuilding and a push for major trophies in one of Asia’s most competitive leagues. The 54-match record above reflects a mixture of solid wins, difficult defeats, and several pivotal moments that the club had hoped to convert into silverware as the season progressed.
Looking at the 2024/2025 Saudi Pro League, Al-Nasr sat in seventh place after three rounds, with five points on the board. The early results show a blend of resilience and inconsistency, as the team worked to translate early-season opportunities into a continuous run of positive results and climb higher in the standings.
Castro’s coaching journey over the past five years has taken him to several major football markets. He has worked with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, Al-Duhail in Qatar, and Botafogo in Brazil, experiences that complemented his long association with Al-Nasr and were cited as a distinctive element of his leadership style.
On January 2, 2023, Ronaldo joined Al-Nasr from Manchester United under a high-value arrangement reported to be around €200 million per year, with additional bonuses indicated for Ronaldo and his family. The move, which marked a major shift in the Saudi club’s recruitment, helped expand Al-Nasr’s global audience and broaden its commercial partnerships, while signaling the company’s ambition on and off the pitch.
Ronaldo’s storied career includes nine seasons with Real Madrid and a three-year spell at Juventus, after an early start with Sporting in Portugal. At the time, reports circulated that Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were not among Ballon d’Or nominees, a topic that fueled discussion about the awards and the ongoing evolution of football’s most celebrated players.
Since arriving in the Saudi league, Ronaldo has been a focal point of media attention around Al-Nasr’s campaign. Observers have tracked his scoring record and overall impact, noting how the presence of a global icon can influence team performance and the club’s ambitions to contend for major titles across competitions.