Jorge Jesus has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo‘s invitation was instrumental in his appointment as the new head coach of Al Nassr.
The 70-year-old Portuguese manager takes over from Stefano Pioli, who led Al Nassr too a third-place finish in the Saudi Pro League last season. Ronaldo, who arrived at Al Nassr in January 2023, has a notable record of 99 goals in 111 first-team appearances but is yet to secure an SPL title or achieve success in the Asian Champions League.
Jesus, who recently departed Al Hilal, Al Nassr’s Riyadh rivals, in May, stated, “Without his invitation, I wouldn’t be there.” He added, “Ronaldo is a player who has always won everything wherever he’s played, but not yet in Saudi Arabia. I’ll see if I can definitely help him this year. We speak the same language, everything will be easy. I couldn’t refuse the challenge cristiano gave me.”
It’s official: ✍️
Mr. Jorge Jesus is the new Head Coach of @alnassrfc 💛Welcome, Mister! 🧠 pic.twitter.com/HdLo8PQce6
– AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) July 14, 2025
Jesus, who previously managed Al hilal for two separate periods, is now joining their city rivals.He expressed his enthusiasm for his return to Saudi Arabia, stating, “I love being in Saudi Arabia; it’s the country of the future, in football and beyond. I am delighted to be returning. I’ve always been very happy. I’ve always won, and now I’m going to try to do it again.”
In March, The Athletic reported that jesus was considered a strong candidate for the brazil national team manager position, alongside Carlo Ancelotti, who eventually took the role after leaving Real Madrid in May.
(Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
