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Al Nassr FC

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Al Nassr
Full nameAl Nassr Football Club
Nickname(s)Al-Alami (The Global One)
Faris Najd (Knight of Najd)
Al-Shams (The Sun)
Founded24 October 1955; 68 years ago (1955-10-24)[1] by Al-Ja’ba brothers
GroundAl-Awwal Park
Capacity26,100
OwnerPublic Investment Fund (75%)
Al Nassr Non-Profit Foundation (25%)[2]
PresidentIbrahim Al-Muhaidib
Head coachLuís Castro
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2023–24Pro League, 2nd of 18
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Al Nassr active departments

Football
(men's)

Football
(women's)

Basketball
(men's)

Futsal
(men's)

Al Nassr Football Club (Arabic: نادي النصر لكرة القدم, romanizednādī al-nasr li-kurat al-qadam, lit.'Victory Football Club') is a Saudi-Arabian professional football club based in Riyadh. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of Saudi Football.

Al Nassr are one of three teams to have participated in all seasons of the Saudi Pro League since its establishment in 1976, Al Nassr is also a multi-sports club which includes Handball, basketball, E-Sports, Volleyball and many other sports & games for both men and women of all ages.

Al Nassr have won 28 official titles in multiple competitions.[3] In domestic competitions, they have won the Saudi Pro League nine times, three Crown Prince Cup and three Saudi Federation Cup titles, six King Cup titles, and two Super Cup titles. At the continental level they earned an Asian double in 1998 by claiming both the Asian Cup Winners' Cup & Asian Super Cup, At the regional level the club won two GCC Club Cup titles and one Arab Club Champions Cup title.

History

[edit]

Beginnings and triumphs (1955–1989)

[edit]

Al-Nassr was established in 1955 by the Al-Ja’ba brothers. Training took place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah, west of Al-Fotah Garden, where there was a small football field and a small room to store balls and shirts. In addition to the Al-Ja'ba brothers, Ali and Al-Owais, Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud Al Saud became the head of Al Nassr, he spent more than 39 years as the president for 3 stints until his death. His love of the team made him accept the challenge of being the president of a second-division club and turning it into a champion, and therefore, he is known as Al-Nassr's Godfather. They were promoted to the first division in 1963. During the 1970s and 1980s, the club won four Saudi Premier League titles, Five King's Cups, two Crown Prince Cups, and one Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Herafy and Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan.

Majed Ahmed Abdullah is Al Nassr's all-time leader in goals scored and appearances.

The End of Majed Abdullah Era (1989–2000)

[edit]

In the 1990s (year), Al Nassr managed to win two further Saudi Premier League titles in the 1993-1994 and 1994–1995 seasons, the 1990 King's Cup and the 1997-1998 Federation Cup. Towards the end of Majed Abdullah's career, he still wasn't able to lift the ultimate prize in UAFA region; the Arab Club Champions Cup while the other top clubs in Saudi already succeeded in doing this. Despite that, Al Nassr managed to triumph in the continental tournaments. The 37-year-old striker, Majed Abdullah at the time, managed to win two GCC Club Cups, one Asian Cup Winners' Cup and one Asian Super Cup. Majed Abdullah announced his retirement on 12 April 1998 following Al-Nassr's win in the 1998 Asian Cup Winner's Cup against Suwon Samsung Bluewings from South Korea in front of 70,000 fans in Riyadh. Majed retired at 39 years old as the all-time top scorer of the Saudi League with 189 goals and is also Al-Nassr's all-time top scorer with 260 goals, a record that was considered untouchable until the coming of Abderrazak Hamdallah.

After becoming champion of the Asian Super Cup, Al-Nassr was eligible to represent the AFC region in the first FIFA Club World Cup. In that championship Al-Nassr played against Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca and finished 3rd in the group. Al-Nassr won the competition's Fair Play award.

Slow Decline (2001–2007)

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After the Golden Trio's retirement, Al Nassr's fresh squad at the time made an impressive performance during their first run in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Club then went on to sign some internationally recognized players, such as Ivory Coast's Fadel Keïta and former Barcelona Attacking Midfielder Julio César Baldivieso.

Despite the expensive signings at the time, Al-Nassr failed to keep their position in the league and soon received some major setbacks. Things got worse as the next season went by. In 2006–07, the club only managed to avoid relegation on their last day of the season, which prompted honorary members, including Majed Abdullah, to intervene. Their plan was to begin an effective long-term plan to restructure the management.

Recent resurgence (2008–2015)

[edit]

After a major overhaul of playing staff, Al Nassr went on to win the Federation Cup 2008 against city rivals, Al-Hilal. In the next season, Al Nassr made a record-breaking transfer by signing young Mohammad Al-Sahlawi from Al Qadsiah in 2009 for SR32 million ($8 million) fee, breaking Yasser Al-Qahtani's record transfer to Al Hilal from the same team as Sahlawi.

Newly reformed Al Nassr put lots of hope on their young striker's shoulders. In his first season with Al-Nassr, Al-Sahlawi scored 21 goals in 36 matches and received the Young Player of the Year award from STC. However, the club only finished third in 2009–10. Despite that, Al Nassr were eligible to secure a place in the Asian Champions League for the following season.

Bader Al-Mutawa finest hours

[edit]

Their second match in the 2011 AFC Champions League were against Uzbekistan club Pakhtakor, which resulted in a 2–2 draw with the decisive goal coming from Bader Al-Mutawa, a loaned player from a Kuwaiti club who was also part of the Kuwaiti military. In the second match against Esteghlal, Al Nassr managed to secure their first 3 points by winning 2–1, with Hussein Abdulghani scoring. In the third match, Al Nassr was defeated by Al Sadd with them scoring 1 goal by Lee Jung-Soo.

Once again Al Nassr was pitted against Al Sadd from Qatar with Abdulghani clutching 1 goal to force a draw result. In the fifth match however, Al Nassr secured a big victory against Pakhtakor with Saud Hamood and Sahlawi each scoring 1 goal, while Al-Mutawa scored 2 goals. In the final group stage game, Al Nassr were beaten by Esteghlal 2–1 with Al-Mutawa scoring for the club again. Al Nassr narrowly avoided elimination by getting 2nd position in their group.

In the round of sixteen however, Al Nassr's dream to win a continental competition again since the time of Majed Abdullah perished when Zob Ahan defeated Al Nassr 4–1, with Bader once again listing his name in goal chart. Shortly after the continental campaign was over, Bader chose to depart to Kuwait to return to his club and resume military duties. In his short time with Al Nassr, he managed to make a good record by scoring 5 goals, one of the top ten highest scorers in AFC during 2011.

2010 to 2015 Season

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In 2010–12, Al Nassr saw itself in the King Cup. In the 2010–12 season, the Al Nassr coach, Francisco Maturana, aimed for the club to become the Saudi giant it once was. Once again Al Nassr were denied to become champions in the final of the Crown Prince Cup match, where Al-Hilal defeated them in a penalty shootout.

In the 2013–14 season, the club coach was replaced with Jose Daniel Carreno. Al Nassr then went on a 22-game win streak without defeat and almost became the second club in Saudi to win a treble by winning against city rivals Al Akhdhoud in both league and Crown Prince cups. This secured their place for the 2015 AFC Champions League following the astonishing accomplishment.

The Age of the 3 Strikers (2015–2022)

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The 2010s marked the growth of football in most Asian countries, both in league quality and their national teams. The AFC Champions League also started to spark interest among football enthusiasts worldwide.

In the 2014–15 season, Al Nassr continued to defend their title as champions, by winning the league. However the team failed to get their treble after losing in the King's Cup final, as well as only reaching the Crown Prince Cup's semi-final. Many fans felt let down by the club after losing in the group stage of the AFC Champions League against Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan, Al Duhail and Persepolis.

Al Sahlawi, who was 27 years old at the time was only able to score 25 goals from his 37 appearances that season. For these reasons, the coach was replaced by the former Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita. Even with him training the team, Al Nassr still failed to break through the AFC Champions League. After being defeated by Al Duhail and Zob Ahan, Al Nassr finally defeated their opponent Bunyodkor back to back.

The start of the 2016–2017 season marked the transfers of two Croatian players into the club: Ivan Tomecak and Marin Tomasov, who were loaned to Al Nassr. Abdullah Madu, a new center-back at the time also started playing with the club. In this season however, the club only got 3rd position in the Roshn Saudi League, behind their rival Al Ahli and city rival Al Hilal.

Al Nassr only finished second in the Crown Prince Cup that season, losing to Al Hilal once more. They were also runner-up to Al Ahli in the final of Kings Cup. Al Nassr failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2017 and the AFC Champions League 2018. In the 2015–2016 season, Sahlawi scored 10 goals in his 29 appearances. In the season 2016–2017, Sahlawi scored 11 goals in 27 appearances, and in the next season 12 goals from 24 appearances.

Al Nassr coach Gustavo Quinteros from Bolivia, decided to sign Wingback Sultan Al Ghannam on 12 March 2018 for a free transfer from Al Faisaly. Ghannam quickly proved his talent by becoming a key player in the defense and offense. The club also signed arguably the two best Moroccan Players at the time, Abderrazek Hamdallah and Nordin Amrabat. Both of them joined in the Saudi Pro League on 16 July and 23 August 2018.

Hamdallah, nicknamed The Executioner proved himself to be a menace when he made his debut against Al Qadsiah, making two assists. In his second match, he scored his first goal for the club against Al Taawoun. After this, Sahlawi's position as club favourite striker began to slowly shift into Hamdallah as the former Chinese Super League star player adapted with his teammates. The Moroccan forward broke the record since the league became professional in 2007 and carried his team to qualify for 2019 AFC Champions League by defeating FK AGMK.

In the 2019 AFC Champions League, Al Nassr managed to secure 2nd position in the group stage just below Zob Ahan and advanced past the round of sixteen with Hamdallah scoring. In the quarter-final, Al Nassr was defeated by Al Sadd 4–3. Hamdallah scored 4 goals in the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Despite the bad start due to a previous ankle injury, Hamadallah was able to end his first season in the Saudi Pro League as the top scorer after impressively scoring 34 goals. By this time, Hamdalllah had completely replaced Sahlawi as the main striker.

In the 2018–19 Season, he won the league title with his team. He scored a record of 34 goals with his teammate Nordin Amrabat. He scored in the final match against Al Batin. On 3 January 2019, Hamdallah scored his first hat-trick for the club against Al Jandal in the Round of 64 in the 2019 King Cup.

10 days later, he scored a super hat-trick against Al Ansar. He scored consecutive super hat-tricks against Al Fayha in the Round of 16. On 27 April 2019, Hamdallah scored a double in a 4–2 loss in the semi-final against Al Ittihad of the 2019 King Cup. By the end of 2019, Hamdallah managed to beat several stars such as Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi as the world's top scorer, noted by IFFHS, after reaching 57 goals in the year. Al Sahlawi also left the club to join Al Shabab.

On 4 January 2020, Hamdallah scored in a 1–1 draw against Al Taawoun to win the 2019 Saudi Super Cup. On 30 January 2021, Hamdallah scored in a 3–0 victory against rivals Al Hilal to win the 2020 Saudi Super Cup.

2020 AFC Champions League campaign

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Al Nassr was eligible to join the 2020 AFC Champions after winning one of the domestic cups and the league. As the Nassrawi enter the Group Stage, Al Nassr equalize in a 2–2 draw with Al Sadd from Qatar, with Hamdallah scoring one of the 2 goals. In the next match against Al Ain from UAE, Hamdallah scored again. In the third match, Hamdallah scored double in a 2–0 win against Iranian club Sepahan, and in the next consecutive match against the same team, Hamdallah scored again and gave an assist to his fullback teammate Abdullah Madu.

In the later match against Al Sadd, the team drew 1–1 before a loss afterward due to the opponent forward Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba single goal for Al Ain. After reaching the knockout stage in the round of sixteen, Hamdallah scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Al Taawoun FC, and the club danced to the next stage. Al Nassr meets their old rival, Al Ahli, in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. The Riyadh and Jeddah Clubs have a long history of rivalry. Al Nassr won in their "Classico" after Gonzalo Nicolas Martines and Abdulfatah Asiri each scored a goal, with Hamdallah creating key moments for both to score.

Al Nassr, however, lost in the semi-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout against Iranian club Persepolis, ending their dream of lifting the AFC Champions League cup. Despite that, Hamdallah managed to lift the Asian Champions League golden boot, tying with Junior Negrao with 7 goals, but winning due to having more assists. Despite this, the manager was dissatisfied with Hamdallah's performance.

2021–2022: Season and key role of Talisca

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Al Nassr officially terminated Hamdallah's contract on 23 November 2020. However, Hamdallah was still allowed to play for his remaining time at the club. Al Nassr went on to scout for a suitable club executioner replacement, and at the same time, many European players who previously signed for the Chinese Super League were quitting due to outrageous policies for foreign players. This was seen by many other Asian Clubs as a golden opportunity to snatch talented players for a cheap price.

Before joining Al Nassr, Talisca was the winner of the 2019 Chinese Super League for his club Guangzhou Evergrande. The 27-year-old winger officially joined Al Nassr on 17 May 2021 with a reported transfer fee of $9.5 million. On 8 June 2021, Vincent Aboubakar, a player from Cameroonian striker, signed for Al Nassr for a reported transfer fee of $6 million. Both of these new top players made their debut in the second leg of the Saudi league season.

Talisca and Vincent Aboubakar made their debut in the match against Damac on 13 August 2021, in which Aboubakar, Talisca, and Hamdallah each scored 1 in a 4–1 victory. In the next match, Talisca scored the sole goal against Al Faisaly, which further solidified Talisca's role for the club in the next matches. Hamdallah played his final match for the club in a 1–0 loss against Ettifaq FC in which Filip Kiss from Slovakia clinched the victory for his team.

Jalolidin Masharipov, who was previously loaned to Shabab Al Ahli from UAE returned to Al Nassr. The Uzbekistan national team Midfielder made his first appearance in a 0–1 victory against Al Fateh on 1 January 2022. Despite the team's best effort under the leadership of Miguel Ángel Russo, the team still doesn't manage to lift a single trophy in the season. For this reason, the coach was replaced by Rudi Garcia.

Rudi implemented a major overhaul and signed some new players, including prolific Villareal Fullback Alvaro Gonzalez Soberon, who at the time was a free agent. With a strong set of players, the coach aimed for a domestic treble, which so far only Ettifaq had done. Talisca scored his first hat-trick for the club in a league match, helping his side to a 4–1 away league victory against Al Raed, and he became the League top scorer before Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.

Cristiano Ronaldo era (2023–present)

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Ronaldo (left) captaining Al Nassr in 2023

On 30 December 2022, Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese player left Manchester United by mutual agreement. Ronaldo's contract runs for two-and-a-half years until summer 2025, with a total salary of €200 million per year, thought to be the highest ever paid to a professional footballer. He made an immediate impact on the global following of the club, with their Instagram account growing from 860 thousand followers before his move to over 23 million followers as of January 4, 2024.[4] Al Nassr finished in second place in the 2022–23 season.

2023 Arab Club Champions Cup

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Ronaldo (left) playing for Al Nassr against Persepolis in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League.

The Arab Club Champions Cup is a seasonal club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by top clubs from the Arab world.

On 28 July 2023, just one day after Al Nassr finished their Japan World Tour in friendly matches against Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain F.C. the Al Nassr main squad faced their opponent, Al Shabab in the group stage of Arab Club Champions Cup which resulted in a 0–0 draw. Al Nassr's success came later when facing US Monastir, in which Ronaldo scored a goal in a 4–1 victory. In the final match in the group stage against Zamalek from Egypt, Ronaldo managed to equalize in the 87th minute securing the club their place in the next stage with a 1–1 draw.

On 6 August 2023, Al Nassr faced Raja Casablanca in the first one-legged knockout game, in which they won 3–1 to reach the next round. In the semifinal on 9 August 2023, Ronaldo secured their position in the final for the first time in the championship history after scoring a penalty against Al Shorta from Iraq winning 1–0.

On 12 August 2023, the Arab Club Champions Cup final was played. Al Nassr who were 1–0 down to Al Hilal picked up a red card in the 71st min. Just 3 mins after, Cristiano Ronaldo scored, making it 1-1, sending the final to extra time. With just 10 men, Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 98th minute to secure a 2–1 comeback against Al Hilal in the final. Ronaldo finished the top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals and won the Golden Boot, while Nawaf Al-Aqidi won the Golden Glove.

Al Nassr supporters in a match against Al Raed

End of 2023

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Following the move of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2023, ex-European team players Otávio, Sadio Mané, Aymeric Laporte, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles joined the club.

At the end of the 2023 year, Al Nassr were 2nd in the league, trailing only Al Hilal. They finished 1st and unbeaten in their AFC Champions League group drawing Saudi Club Al Fayha in the Round of 16. Talisca currently sits 1st in the golden boot standings of the AFC Champions League with 8 goals in just the group stage. Al Nassr has qualified for the semi-finals of the King's Cup after beating Saudi heavyweights Al Shabab 5–1.

Start of 2024

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The IFFHS recognized Cristiano Ronaldo as the global top scorer, finishing the 2023 calendar year with 54 goals. As of February 2024, he has 30 goals in the first half of the season, scoring in every competition.

Before the second half of the season, Al Nassr were supposed to go on a China Tour facing Shanghai Shenhua on 24 January and Zhejiang Professional on 28 January but the tour was deleyed and to be held in a future date. Al Nassr faced Saudi rivals, Al Hilal and MLS side Inter Miami in the Riyadh Season Cup. The Cup ended with Al Nassr facing Al Hilal on 8 February 2024. Al Nassr started the second half of the season with an AFC Champions League match against Saudi team Al Fayha on 12 January.

Al Nassr were knocked out of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League by Al-Ain FC in the quarter finals, losing 1–0 in the first leg and wining 4–3 in the second leg, which led a 4-4 aggregate to penalties, which they lost 1–3.

They also lost the King's Cup on Penalties, and were Saudi Super Cup Semi finalists, and finished 2nd in the league with 82 points the highest points in the club history.

Crest and colours

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Al Nassr (Arabic: النصر) is the Arabic word for "victory", clubs with the same name are found in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, and Libya but the Saudi Arabian club was the first to take the name.

The club's logo represents the map of Arabia with yellow and blue colours. Yellow for the sand of the Arabian deserts and blue for the water in the Arab Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. Recently, the old logo has been replaced by a "modernised" version, but it is still heavily influenced by the old club logo. The new logo only represents the football team while the old logo represents the club as a whole.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt main sponsor
1955–1978 In-House None
1979–1980 Adidas None
1981–1988 In-House None
1989–1990 Duarig None
1991–1996 In-House None
1997–2001 Nike None
2002–2005 In-House None
2006–2008 Lotto Al-Jawal
2008–2010 STC
2010–2012 Nike
2012–2013 NFC
2013–2014 Nassrawi.com
2014–2017 Mobily
2017–2018 New Balance None
2018–2021 Victory Etihad Airways
2021–2022 Lebara
2022–2023 Duneus Shurfah
2023–2024 Nike KAFD
2024– Adidas (€9m/year)

Current squad

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First-team squad

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As of 15 August 2024[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Amin Bukhari
2 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Sultan Al-Ghannam (vice-captain)
4 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Fatil
5 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulelah Al-Amri
6 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mukhtar Ali
7 FW Portugal POR Cristiano Ronaldo (captain)
8 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem
10 FW Senegal SEN Sadio Mané
12 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Nawaf Boushal
13 DF Brazil BRA Alex Telles
14 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Sami Al-Najei
16 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Maran
17 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Al-Khaibari
19 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ali Al-Hassan
23 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ayman Yahya
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 GK Brazil BRA Bento
25 MF Portugal POR Otávio
27 DF Spain ESP Aymeric Laporte
29 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulrahman Ghareeb
30 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Meshari Al-Nemer
36 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Raghed Al-Najjar
44 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Nawaf Al-Aqidi
49 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Awad Aman
50 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Majed Qasheesh
60 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Saad Haqawi
77 MF Croatia CRO Marcelo Brozović
78 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ali Lajami
94 MF Brazil BRA Talisca
DF Saudi Arabia KSA Salem Al-Najdi

Unregistered players

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Ivory Coast CIV Ghislain Konan
20 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hamad Al Mansour
38 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Fahad Al-Taleb
41 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Otaibi
42 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Mansour Al-Shammari
No. Pos. Nation Player
55 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Faraj
57 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Muhannad Barah
58 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Aser Hawsawi
66 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Waleed Saber
99 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Khalid Haqawi

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
46 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)
92 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Fahad Al-Zubaidi (on loan to Al-Orobah)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Ivory Coast CIV Seko Fofana (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)

Personnel

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Current technical staff

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Position Name
Head Coach Portugal Luís Castro
Assistant Coach Portugal Vítor Severino
Goalkeeping Coach Portugal Daniel Correia
Physiotherapist Spain David Oliva
Youth Coach Croatia Ivan Matić
Youth Coach Croatia Džemal Adilji
Development Coach Portugal Nuno Batista
Sporting Director Spain Fernando Hierro
Sporting Director Spain Adrián Espárraga
Director of Football Italy Guido Fienga
Talent scouting Portugal Marcelo Salazar
Head Doctor Portugal Carlos Miguel

Board members

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Office Name
President Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Muhaidib
Member Board Saudi Arabia Raid Ismail
Member Board Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Al-Omran
Member Board Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Deghaither
Member Board Saudi Arabia Hamoud Al-Rumayan
Member Board Saudi Arabia Maram Al-Johani
Member Board Saudi Arabia Anas Al-Alsheikh

Former coaches

[edit]

Presidential history

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Abdul Rahman bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Al Nassr president for more than 39 years and the club godfather.
No Name From To
1 Saudi Arabia Zeid Al-Ja'ba 1955 1956
2 Saudi Arabia Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed 1956 1960
3 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Asaad Al-Wehaibi 1960 1960
4 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Ahmed Al-Odaini 1960 1960
5 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud (1st preasdintal term) 1960 1969
6 Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan bin Saud 1969 1975
7 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud (2nd preasdintal term) 1975 1997
8 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud 1997 2000
9 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud (3rd preasdintal term) 2000 2004
10 Saudi Arabia Prince Mamdouh bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud 2005 2006
11 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Saud 2006 2009
12 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser 2009  2017
13 Saudi Arabia Salman malik 2017  2018
14 Saudi Arabia Saud Al-Suwailem 2018  2019
15 Saudi Arabia Safwan Al-Suwaiket 2019  2021
16 Saudi Arabia Musalli Al-Muammar 2021  2024
17 Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Muhaidib 2024  present

Honours

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Al Nassr have won a combined total of 28 official championships and with friendly 46 overall. The club holds various domestic and international records.[7] The club is recognized by FIFA as the first Asian club to play on an international level, as well as the first club in the world to win the FIFA Fair Play Award in the FIFA Club World Cup.[8][9] On a continental level, Al-Nassr appeared on 4 Asian finals, with two victories, and two times as runners-up.[10][11][12]

Domestic titles

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Continental titles

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Regional titles

[edit]

Records and statistics

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League records

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Asian record

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Overview

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As of 11 March 2024
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League / AFC Champions League Elite 71 36 17 18 114 79
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 14 10 2 2 19 17
Asian Super Cup 2 0 2 0 1 1
TOTAL 87 46 21 20 134 97

Record by country

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Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
 Iran 19 8 5 6 23 21 +2 042.11
 Iraq 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 066.67
 Japan 2 0 1 1 1 6 −5 000.00
 Jordan 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 050.00
 Kazakhstan 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 100.00
 Kuwait 4 3 0 1 5 5 +0 075.00
 Lebanon 4 3 0 1 8 3 +5 075.00
 Qatar 18 7 6 5 28 30 −2 038.89
 Saudi Arabia 5 4 0 1 7 2 +5 080.00
 South Korea 4 1 2 1 2 2 +0 025.00
 Tajikistan 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2 050.00
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
 Turkmenistan 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00
 United Arab Emirates 10 6 1 3 22 14 +8 060.00
 Uzbekistan 7 4 3 0 16 6 +10 057.14

Matches

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1991–92 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 1R Lebanon Al-Ansar 2–1 2–1 4−2
QF Kuwait Kazma 1–0 3−1
SF Jordan Al-Ramtha 1–0 3−1
Final Japan Nissan 1–1 0–5 1−6
1995 Asian Club Championship 2R Kazakhstan Yelimay Semipalatinsk 1–0 3−0[A] 4−0
QF Qatar Al-Arabi
2–1
1st
Iran Saipa
0–0
Turkmenistan Köpetdag Aşgabat
1–0
SF Thailand Thai Farmers Bank 1–0
Final South Korea Ilhwa Chunma
0–1
0–1
1996–97 1R United Arab Emirates Sharjah
w/o[B]
2R Lebanon Al-Nejmeh 4–0 0−1 4−1
QF Qatar Al-Rayyan
1–2
3rd
Iran Persepolis
3–2
Iraq Al-Zawraa
0–0
1997–98 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R United Arab Emirates Al-Shabab
w/o[C]
QF Qatar Al-Ittihad 0–0 3–2 3−2
SF Turkmenistan Köpetdag Aşgabat
2–1
2−1
Final South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
1–0
1−0
1998 Asian Super Cup South Korea Pohang Steelers 0–0 1–1 1−1 (a)
1998–99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R Kuwait Kazma 2–1 0–3 2−4
2011 AFC Champions League Group B Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 4–0 2−2 2nd
Iran Esteghlal 2–1 1−2
Qatar Al-Sadd 1–1 0−1
R16 Iran Zob Ahan 1−4 1−4
2015 Group A Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 1–1 1−0 3rd
Qatar Lekhwiya 1–3 1−1
Iran Persepolis 3–0 0−1
2016 Group B Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 3–3 1−0 3rd
Qatar Lekhwiya 1–1 0−4
Iran Zob Ahan 0–3 0−3
2019 PO Uzbekistan AGMK 4–0 4–0
Group A United Arab Emirates Al-Wasl 3–1 0−1 2nd
Iran Zob Ahan 2–3 0−0
Iraq Al-Zawraa 4–1 2−1
R16 United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 1−1 3−2 4–3
QF Qatar Al-Sadd 2−1 1−3 3–4
2020 Group D Qatar Al-Sadd 2–2 1–1 1st
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 0−1 2−1
Iran Sepahan 2−0 2−0
R16 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 1−0 1–0
QF Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2−0 2–0
SF Iran Persepolis 1–1 (3–5 p) 1–1 (3–5 p)
2021 Group D Jordan Al-Wehdat 1–2 0–0 1st
Qatar Al-Sadd 3−1 2–1
Iran Foolad 2−0 1−1
R16 Iran Tractor 1−0 1–0
QF United Arab Emirates Al Wahda 5–1 5–1
SF Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 1–2 1–2
2023–24 PO United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli 4–2 4–2
Group E Iran Persepolis 0–0 2–0 1st
Tajikistan Istiklol 3−1 1–1
Qatar Al-Duhail 4−3 3–2
R16 Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha 2−0 1–0 3–0
QF United Arab Emirates Al Ain 4–3 0–1 4–4 (1–3 p)

Key: PO – Play-off round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;

Notes
  • ^
    Yelimay Semipalatinsk withdrew after the 1st leg.
  • ^
    Al-Sharjah withdrew.
  • ^
    Al-Shabab withdrew.
  • Top scorers in Asian competitions

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    Player Country Goals
    1 Abderrazak Hamdallah  Morocco 16
    2 Talisca  Brazil 9
    3 Giuliano  Brazil 8
    4 Fahad Al-Huraifi  Saudi Arabia 7
    5 Cristiano Ronaldo  Portugal 6
    6 Ohene Kennedy  Ghana 5
    Bader Al-Mutawa  Kuwait 5
    7 Waleed Al-Torair  Saudi Arabia 4

    International records

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    Internationally, Al Nassr boasts many appearances, both in the Arab world and on the international scale. In 1996 and 1997, Al Nassr won the GCC Club Cup twice in a row and ran for runners-up in 2008. Al Nassr appeared in Syria's international tournament, the Damascus International Championship in 2004, and won. Al Nassr also had successful appearances in Emirati international tournaments, such as the Bani Yas International Tournament, winning it two times in 2011 and 2013, as well as winning "Al-Wehda International Cup" in 2012. Other UAFA participations include a single appearance in the Arab Cup Winners' Cup in the year 2000, as well as the Arab Super Cup in 2001. The club reached finals on both occasions, only to finish the course as runners-up, with the two cups going defunct ever since.

    2000 FIFA Club World Cup

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    Winning the Asian Super Cup in 1998 allowed Al Nassr to entry to the draw to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup Al Nassr nominated after winning the draw by one more vote over Japanese club Júbilo Iwata the winner of Asian Super Cup 1999 and Korean club Pohang Steelers the winner of "Asian club champions" 1998. In doing so, they became the first team to officially represent Asia in an international tournament, which was held in Brazil from 5 January to 14 January, in the year 2000. The nickname "The International Club" was obtained following their respective participation in the Club World Cup. Al Nassr won the FIFA Fair Play Award and 6th place following the end of the Club World Cup and was the first team in the world to win such an award.[9]

    Al Nassr were drawn in Group A along with Corinthians (tournament champion), Real Madrid, and Raja Casablanca.

    Al Nassr results
    [edit]
    Real Madrid Spain3–1Saudi Arabia Al Nassr
    Anelka 21'
    Raúl 62'
    Sávio 69' (pen.)
    (Report) Al-Bishi 45' (pen.)
    Attendance: 12,000
    Raja Casablanca Morocco3–4Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
    Nejjary 13'
    El Moubarki 81'
    El Karkouri 87'
    (Report) Amin 3'
    Bahja 48'
    Al-Bishi 50'
    Saïb 87'
    Attendance: 3000
    Referee: Derek Rugg (New Zealand)
    Al Nassr Saudi Arabia0–2Brazil Corinthians
    (Report) Ricardinho 24'
    Rincón 81'
    Attendance: 31,000
    Group A final standings
    [edit]
    Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
    Brazil Corinthians 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7
    Spain Real Madrid 3 2 1 0 8 5 +3 7
    Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 3 1 0 2 5 8 −3 3
    Morocco Raja Casablanca 3 0 0 3 5 9 −4 0
    Participating squad
    [edit]
    Number Player
    Goalkeepers
    1 Saudi Arabia Mansoor Al-Qahtani
    22 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Al-Khojali
    9 Saudi Arabia Mohamed Shareefy
    Defenders
    2 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al Halawi
    5 Morocco Smahi Triki
    4 Saudi Arabia Saleh Aboshahin
    12 Saudi Arabia Hamad Al Khathran
    16 Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Al-Janoubi
    20 Saudi Arabia Mohsin Harthi
    21 Saudi Arabia Hadi Sharify
    23 Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al Shokia
    Midfielders
    3 Saudi Arabia Faisal Al Dosari
    6 Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Harbi
    8 Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Bishi
    10 Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
    14 Saudi Arabia Nassib Al Ghamdi
    17 Saudi Arabia Mansour Al-Mousa
    18 Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al Karni
    Forwards
    7 Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Mehallel
    11 Saudi Arabia Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan
    13 Morocco Ahmed Bahja
    15 Saudi Arabia Nahar Al Dhaferi
    19 Algeria Moussa Saïb
    Manager
      Serbia and Montenegro Milan Živadinović

    Notable players

    [edit]

    List of Al Nassr FC Seasons

    [edit]

    See also

    [edit]

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ "Club History". Al Nassr FC. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
    2. ^ "Saudi Arabia's PIF takes over Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli". BBC Sport. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
    3. ^ "Al-Nassr FC Trophies". Al-Nassr FC. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
    4. ^ "Al-Nassr now boast more Instagram followers than every Premier League club outside 'Big Six' after Cristiano Ronaldo's move sparked incredible increase". TalkSport. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
    5. ^ "First team". Al Nassr FC. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
    6. ^ مدرب النصر ميلان
    7. ^ Abdulaziz, Al Sharif (31 January 2014). "39 tournaments". Sabq Media Group. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
    8. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup 2000". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
    9. ^ a b Pierrend, José. "FIFA Awards". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
    10. ^ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Champions' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
    11. ^ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Cup Winners' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
    12. ^ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Super Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
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