Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr has announced the departure of Portuguese coach Luis Castro, just one day after a disappointing draw in their AFC Champions League Elite campaign. Castro exits after more than a year at the helm of the Cristiano Ronaldo-led team.
“Everyone at Al Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months,” the Riyadh-based club stated on X on Tuesday, without providing specific reasons for his departure.
Under Castro, Al Nassr won the Arab Club Champions Cup last year, a tournament featuring 37 teams from Asia and Africa. Currently, Al Nassr is in seventh place in the standings with five points, having secured one victory in their first three league matches this season. Last year, they finished second in the league, 14 points behind Al Hilal, and lost the Saudi Super Cup final 4-1 to the league champions earlier this August.
Al Nassr drew 1-1 with Iraq’s Al Shorta on Monday, playing without star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who remained in Riyadh due to a viral infection that prevented him from traveling to Baghdad. Despite winning five UEFA Champions Leagues, Ronaldo has yet to secure a major trophy with Al Nassr.
Luis Castro, who previously coached Shakhtar Donetsk to the Ukrainian Premier League title in 2019-20, also managed Portuguese teams like Vitoria Guimaraes, Porto, and Rio Ave. Castro took over after Rudi Garcia departed in April 2023, following a disappointing season despite Ronaldo’s arrival.
Domestic media reports suggest that Stefano Pioli, the former AC Milan manager who led the team to the Italian championship in 2022, is among the top candidates to replace Castro.
