Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nassr has announced the departure of Portuguese coach Luis Castro, just a day after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Iraq’s Al Shorta in their AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
This result adds to a sluggish start in the domestic season, coinciding with Ronaldo’s current contract, which is set to expire next summer.
“Al Nassr can announce that head coach Luis Castro has left the club,” said a statement posted on X. “Everyone at Al Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months, wishing them the best of luck for the future.”
Castro, 63, is the third coach to depart Al Nassr since Ronaldo’s groundbreaking arrival in early 2023 on a contract that was said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years.
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Frenchman Rudi Garcia left in April, followed by a brief stint from Croatian coach Dinko Jelicic before Luis Castro was appointed in July last year.
Despite Ronaldo’s impressive career, he has yet to win a Saudi trophy with Al Nassr, with his only silverware being last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.
The team finished a distant second in the last Saudi Pro League season and has drawn twice in their first three matches of the new campaign.
Ronaldo’s arrival sparked a wave of high-profile signings in Saudi football, attracting stars like Neymar and Karim Benzema to the oil-rich kingdom.