Former AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli takes charge of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr
Published 18/09/2024 at 19:25 GMT+1
Ex-AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has been announced as Al Nassr's new manager, following the sacking of Luis Castro earlier this week. It means the Italian will be tasked with managing Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the Saudi Arabian club's star player after his move to Asia in 2023. Castro was given the boot following a run of two wins in six matches at the start of the season.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has a new manager, after Stefano Pioli took the reins of his Al Nassr side.
The move comes after the Saudi Arabian club relieved Luis Castro of his duties on Tuesday.
The former Porto boss had overseen a disappointing start to the campaign, with his side winning only two of their six league and cup matches.
That spell of form included a 4-1 defeat to Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup, while Castro's final game in charge proved to be a 1-1 stalemate with Al Shorta in the AFC Champions League.
And the club have moved quickly to appoint his replacement.
"We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach," they wrote on X, fewer than 24 hours after his predecessor's departure.
Pioli was most recently in charge of AC Milan, but he left the club at the end of the 2023/24 season.
In his five years at the San Siro, he won one major trophy, guiding the Rossoneri to the Serie A title in 2021/22.
He has also held coaching positions at Inter Milan, Bologna, Lazio and Fiorentina.
However, after over 20 years in the dugout, this will be the first time he has managed outside of Italy.
Former Liverpool man Sadio Mane, ex-Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte and defender Mohamed Simakan, who moved from RB Leipzig in a £35m deal this month, will be part of his playing squad.
But all eyes will be on how the Italian deals with Ronaldo, who has already scored four times for his club this season.
"Stefano Pioli is a Nasraoui," Al Nassr added on X.
His first game as manager will be a Saudi League clash against Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq on Thursday.
He will now be hoping to guide Ronaldo to a first trophy since his move to Asia in 2023.
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