Cristiano Ronaldo's Dream Reunion Denied: Al Nassr Appoints New Coach Instead of Zidane

Al Nassr have parted ways with head coach Luis Castro after barely a year as manager, but Cristiano Ronaldo will be denied his first-choice as Castro's successor.

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be denied a dream reunion with Zinedine Zidane at Al-Nassr, with the club poised to appoint Stefano Pioli as their new manager rather than the former Real Madrid boss.

Pioli to Replace Castro

Former AC Milan coach Pioli will become the third permanent manager at the Riyadh-based club since they signed Ronaldo midway through the 2022-23 season. Rudi Garcia was dismissed in April 2023, with successor Luis Castro lasting just over a year.

Castro added to his squad after last season's second-place finish, with Chelsea youngster Angelo Gabriel one of the new additions. However, he has lasted just three games of the new season, winning one and drawing two after losing the Saudi Super Cup final in August.

“Al-Nassr can announce that Head Coach Luis Castro has left the Club,” a club statement read. “Everyone at Al-Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months, wishing them the best of luck for the future.”

Ronaldo's Zidane Wish

Ronaldo, who scored in his team's first two league games, is understood to have favoured his old Real Madrid boss Zidane - who has been out of the dugout since his most recent spell at the Bernabeu ended in 2021. Instead, though, reports in Europe have indicated former AC Milan boss Pioli has been hand-picked to take over.

According to reports from Marca in August, Ronaldo pointed to Zidane as an ideal successor to Castro even as the Portuguese coach remained in his role. He isn't the only influential figure at Al-Nassr with ties to Zidane, with the Frenchman's former club team-mate Fernando Hierro taking over as sporting director in June.

While Zidane's absence from the dugout will continue a little longer, Pioli's time away from football looks set to be a brief one. He left the San Siro at the end of last season, two years after leading Milan to the Serie A title, with Paulo Fonseca replacing him in charge of the Rossoneri.

Pioli's Credentials

Pioli led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 2021/22, earning the Italian top flight's manager of the year award at the same time. The hope for Al Nassr is that this sort of pedigree will see him finally lead Ronaldo and co. to the Saudi Pro League title.

Al Nassr are next in action on Friday night when they face Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo's Future

Ronaldo finished last season as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 35 goals, seven more than closest challenger Aleksandar Mitrovic. However, it was Mitrovic's Al-Hilal side who won the title after an unbeaten season.

Al-Nassr still qualified for the AFC Champions League through their runner-up finish, beginning their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Iraqi side Al-Shorta. Ronaldo missed the game with a viral infection, but the forward - who remains part of Portugal's international set-up - recently spoke of his confidence at still being able to deliver on the pitch.

“One thing that I've learned in the last few years is [to] enjoy the moment. Live the moment because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow,” he told Rio Ferdinand in an interview shared on his UR Cristiano YouTube channel.

“I know I'm still looking good, I feel that I can still dribble, score goals, shoot, jump. The day that I start to feel that I can't produce anything I will pack by bags and go away.”