[Cristiano Ronaldo] will have the opportunity to play under the guidance of his fellow Portuguese compatriot, Luis Castro, in the upcoming season. This comes after the confirmation of Luis Castro's appointment as the new head coach of Saudi Arabian club, [Al-Nassr].
The 61-year-old Luis Castro was officially announced as Al-Nassr's new coach on Thursday afternoon. Prior to joining Al-Nassr, Castro had been serving as the coach of Brazilian Serie A side Botafogo since March 2022. However, he decided to leave his role at Botafogo to embark on this new venture in the Saudi Pro League.
It was revealed on June 30 that Castro had departed from Botafogo after accepting an offer from a "foreign club," which has now been confirmed as Al-Nassr. According to sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs, [Ronaldo], who joined Al-Nassr in January following his departure from Manchester United, played a significant role in Castro's appointment.
Castro's hiring is part of a series of coaching changes in the Saudi Pro League this week, with Jorge Jesus being appointed at Al-Hilal and Steven Gerrard taking charge at Al-Ettifaq. Al-Nassr had been without a permanent manager since April when they parted ways with coach Rudi Garcia, with Dinko Jelicic temporarily assuming the role of caretaker.
As a former professional footballer, Castro played for Vitória de Guimarães and Elvas in the Primeira Liga during his career. While most of his playing days were spent in the lower leagues, he transitioned to coaching in 1998. Castro gained recognition for his successful two-season stint with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, notably achieving home and away victories over Real Madrid in the group stage of the 2020-21 Champions League.
Next season, Castro will lead Al-Nassr in a qualifying playoff for the Asian Champions League, following their runner-up finish in the Saudi Pro League last season. Notably, the reigning champion Al-Ittihad was also coached by another Portuguese manager, Nuno Espírito Santo.
It's worth mentioning that Al-Nassr, along with three other top Saudi clubs, underwent majority ownership by the sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund last month, effectively becoming nationalized. The Public Investment Fund, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, boasts assets totaling around $700 billion.
Overall, with the appointment of Luis Castro as their new coach, Al-Nassr aims to harness his expertise and lead the team to further success in both domestic and international competitions. The collaboration between Castro and Ronaldo adds an exciting dimension to the club's aspirations for the upcoming season.
