There was a lot of uncertainty around Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future at Al-Nassr, with the Portuguese icon coming up with a hint of moving away from the Saudi Pro League outfit.
But things have taken a drastic turn since then, and the Al-Nassr management reportedly has successfully convinced Ronaldo to stay beyond this summer despite interest from Al-Hilal and several other European teams.
His decision was because of Al-Nassr’s underwhelming performance throughout the last season, as they struggled to win any silverware. Since Ronaldo’s arrival, Al-Nassr have replaced three coaches.
On Wednesday, Al-Nassr announced the departure of their manager, Stefano Pioli. The Italian manager took charge of the club last summer after they dismissed former coach Luis Castro.
However, even under his guidance, Al-Nassr struggled and only finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season. They have qualified for the AFC Champions League after successfully winning a legal battle and earning a win, which they got because their opposition fielded an ineligible player.
Ronaldo thanked the Italian on his departure as he wrote a farewell post on his social media handles which said “Grazie per tutto!” accompanied with a prayer emoji. Translating it into English, it roughly means ‘thanks for everything’.
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Interestingly, the 40-year-old veteran forward had a sensational record whilst playing for the Italian tactician. Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 36 games when Pioli was coaching,
What’s next for Pioli and Al-Nassr?
Pioli is reportedly heading to Serie A, where he will take up the coaching role at Fiorentina. He has previously coached Fiorentina before he won the Serie A with AC Milan in the 2021/22 season and earned a lot of plaudits for his coaching expertise.
“Al Nassr Club Company informs that Mr Pioli and his Staff are no more the acting coaching staff of the first team,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We would like to thank Mr Pioli and his staff for their dedicated work during the past season.”
Pioli will return to Fiorentina and inherit a team that finished sixth in the 2024/25 Serie A points table. He will replace Raffaele Palladino, who has left the club following a decent campaign for the Viola. Palladino reportedly left the club after feuds with sporting director Daniele Prade.
Interestingly, Pioli had won 28 matches out of the 44 he managed at Al-Nassr, which ain’t a bad record. But now, Al-Nassr will begin their search for a new coach with the hope of winning the Saudi Pro League title, among other competitions.
