Who are Al Nassr? Cristiano Ronaldo's potential next club | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo is a free agent after he and Manchester United mutually agreed to terminate his contract and Al Nassr have emerged as the first team keen to snap him up.

Ronaldo and Man Utd agreed to part ways after the 37-year-old was highly critical of the club and manager Erik ten Hag, who has benched him this season, in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

90min understands Al Nassr have now offered him a contract that would see him become the highest-paid footballer ever.

The offer is believed to be a three-year deal worth close to £250m a year once add-ons, incentives and bonuses are factored in.

He's yet to accept it and would prefer to continue playing at the highest level of European football, but could join if it's the only offer on the table.

Who is Al Nassr's manager?

As was very much evident at Man Utd, with him and Ten Hag clashing, a club's manager is extremely important to whether Ronaldo succeeds there or not.

Al Nassr's manager is Rudi Garcia, with the Frenchman taking charge in June of this year, replacing Pedro Emanuel.

Garcia didn't have a hugely successful playing career but has since made a name for himself as a manager, taking charge of Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon.

His greatest achievement came at Lille when he won Ligue 1 in 2011. After that, he enjoyed some relatively successful periods but ended up without a job following a disappointing 2020/21 campaign with Lyon.

A year later, he was hired by Al Nassr and has made a strong start to life in Saudi Arabia, winning six of his first eight matches.

Who are Al Nassr best players?

Ronaldo would become the biggest name at the club by a long way, but they do already have some high profile players in their squad.

Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar joined in the summer of 2021 and has done well since, getting 10 goals in 30 matches, while David Ospina and Luiz Gustavo were signed this year.

The club's best performer though has been Brazilian forward Talisca, formerly of Benfica. Last season, he got 20 goals in 28 league matches and has five in six this campaign.

How rich are Al Nassr?

As shown by the fact that they have the money to make Ronaldo the highest-paid player ever, Al Nassr are one of the richest clubs in the world.

Saudi prince Abdul Rahman bin Saud Al Saud took charge of the club in 1960 and oversaw their journey from an amateur side to one of the nation's biggest, funding their rise to the top.

He passed away in 2004 but they have continued to receive the financial backing of Saudi royalty since, meaning money is no object to them.

How successful are Al Nassr?

Al Nassr are one of Saudi Arabia's most successful clubs, winning the nation's top division on nine occasions; only Al-Hilal have lifted it more often.

They've enjoyed success in cup competitions too, winning the King's Cup six times, the Crown Prince's Cup three times, the domestic Super Cup twice, the Asian Super Cup once and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once.

However, the biggest prize, the Asian Champions League, has proved illusive, reaching the final once in 1995 but failing to ever lift the trophy.

They haven't won the league title for two seasons, finishing second and sixth since triumphing in 2019, but did win the King's Cup and Saudi Super Cup in 2020.