Al-Nassr signed global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo[4] in January 2023, a move that has been credited with revolutionizing Saudi Arabian football. Ronaldo's presence in the country has been hailed as a cultural phenomenon, setting the stage for numerous top-level European league players to join the Saudi Pro League, while also generating significant exposure for Saudi Arabian football.
The club has a long-standing rivalry with city rivals Al-Hilal, whom they contest the Riyadh derby with, the most followed match in the country. The club's mascot is "Knight", which represents the historic Knights of Najd. Al-Nassr has a market value of €144 million as of 2024, the third-highest in Saudi Arabia.[5]
Al Nassr was established in 1955 by the Al-Ja'ba brothers. Training took place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah, west 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 one Categorization League and three Saudi Premier League titles, Five King's Cups, two Crown Prince's Cups, and one Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Bishi and Mohaisen Al-Jam'an.[6]
Picture for the team with trophies won in 1974Majed Ahmed Abdullah is Al Nassr's all-time leader in goals scored and appearances.
End of the Majed Abdullah era (1989–2000)
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.[citation needed]
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 Corinthians, Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca and finished 3rd in the group, the club 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 Global One (Al-Alami)" 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 the award.[7]
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.[citation needed]
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 this period was called the Great Setback as the club at the time lost its place in the top during this period rivals Al-Hilal got more wins against Al-Nassr then ever before and broke the record for most wins in the derby which was held by Al-Nassr for many years.[citation needed]
Resurgence (2008–2015)
Al Nassr fans at the King Fahd International Stadium in 2008 supporting the club despite not winning a trophy for almost ten years at the time
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.[citation needed]
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 AFC Champions League for the following season.[citation needed]
Bader Al-Mutawa's finest hours
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
2010–2015
In 2010–12, Al Nassr saw itself in the King's 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.[citation needed]
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. [citation needed]
In the 2014–15 season, Al Nassr continued to defend their title as champions, winning the league. However, the team failed to achieve their treble after losing in the King's Cup final and only reaching the semi-final of the Crown Prince Cup. Many fans felt let down by the club after losing in the group stage of the AFC Champions League against Bunyodkor, Al-Duhail, and Persepolis.[citation needed]
Al-Sahlawi, who was 27 years old at the time, managed to score 25 goals from his 37 appearances that season. For these reasons, the coach was replaced by former Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita. Even with him training the team, Al Nassr still failed to make an impact in the AFC Champions League. After being defeated by Al-Duhail and Zob Ahan, Al Nassr finally defeated Bunyodkor in consecutive matches.[citation needed]
The start of the 2016–17 season marked the transfer of two Croatian players to the club: Ivan Tomecak and Marin Tomasov, who were loaned to Al Nassr. Abdullah Madu, a new center-back at the time, also began playing with the club. However, that season, the club only finished in 3rd position in the Pro League, behind their rival Al-Ahli and city rival Al-Hilal.[citation needed]
Al Nassr only finished second in the Crown Prince Cup that season, losing to Al Hilal once again. They were also runners-up to Al Ahli in the final of the King's Cup. Al Nassr failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2017 and the AFC Champions League 2018. In the 2015–16 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 10 goals in his 29 appearances. In the 2016–17 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 11 goals in 27 appearances, and in the next season, he scored 12 goals from 24 appearances.[citation needed]
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, Al-Sahlawi's position as the club's favorite striker began to shift toward Hamdallah as the former Chinese Super League star adapted to his teammates. The Moroccan forward broke records in the league since it became professional in 2007 and carried his team to qualify for the 2019 AFC Champions League by defeating FK AGMK.[citation needed]
In the 2019 AFC Champions League, Al Nassr secured second position in the group stage, just below Zob Ahan, and advanced past the round of sixteen with Hamdallah scoring. In the quarter-finals, Al Nassr was defeated by Al-Sadd 4–3. Hamdallah scored 4 goals in the 2019 AFC Champions League.[citation needed]
Despite a poor start due to a previous ankle injury, Hamdallah ended his first season in the Saudi Pro League as the top scorer, impressively scoring 34 goals. By this time, Hamdallah had completely replaced Al Sahlawi as the main striker.[citation needed]
In the 2018–19 season, he won the league title with his team and scored a record 34 goals, alongside 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 of the 2019 King's Cup.[citation needed]
Ten 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 in the 2019 King Cup. By the end of 2019, Hamdallah managed to surpass several stars such as Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi to become the world's top scorer, as noted by IFFHS, after reaching 57 goals in the year. Al Sahlawi also left the club to join Al-Shabab.[citation needed]
Al Nassr was eligible to join the 2020 AFC Champions after winning one of the domestic cups and the league. As they entered the group stage, Al Nassr drew 2–2 with Al-Sadd from Qatar, with Hamdallah scoring one of the two goals. In the next match against Al-Ain from the UAE, Hamdallah scored again. In the third match, Hamdallah scored twice in a 2–0 win against Iranian club Sepahan, and in the next consecutive match against the same team, Hamdallah scored again and assisted his fullback teammate Abdullah Madu.[citation needed]
In the later match against Al-Sadd, the team drew 1–1 before a loss due to a single goal from Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba of 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. The club advanced to the next stage. Al Nassr met 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 the "Classico" after Gonzalo Nicolas Martínez and Abdulfattah Asiri each scored a goal, with Hamdallah creating key moments for both.[citation needed]
However, Al Nassr lost in the semi-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout against Iranian club Persepolis, ending their dream of lifting the AFC Champions League trophy. Despite this, Hamdallah managed to win the AFC Champions League golden boot, tying with Júnior Negrão with 7 goals, but winning due to having more assists. Despite this, the manager was dissatisfied with Hamdallah's performance.[citation needed]
2021–2022: Key role of Talisca
On 23 November 2020, Al Nassr officially terminated the contract of striker Abderrazak Hamdallah. Although his contract was terminated, Hamdallah was allowed to continue playing for the remainder of his contract. Meanwhile, Al Nassr began searching for a replacement for Hamdallah, with many European players who had previously joined the Chinese Super League leaving due to stricter foreign player policies. This created an opportunity for other Asian clubs to acquire talented players at a lower cost.[citation needed]
Prior to joining Al Nassr, Talisca had won the 2019 Chinese Super League title with Guangzhou Evergrande. Talisca officially joined Al Nassr on 17 May 2021 for a reported transfer fee of $9.5 million. On 8 June 2021, Vincent Aboubakar, a Cameroonian striker, also signed for Al Nassr, with a reported transfer fee of $6 million. Both players made their debut for the club during the second half of the 2020–21 Saudi Pro League season.[citation needed]
Talisca and Aboubakar made their debuts in a 4–1 victory over Damac on 13 August 2021, with each of them, along with Hamdallah, scoring once. In the following match, Talisca scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Al-Faisaly, further solidifying his place in the team. Hamdallah played his final match for the club in a 1–0 loss to Al-Ettifaq, in which Filip Kiss scored the match-winning goal.[citation needed]
Jalolidin Masharipov, who had been on loan at Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE, returned to Al Nassr and made his first appearance in a 1–0 victory against Al-Fateh on 1 January 2022. Despite the team's efforts under the leadership of manager Miguel Ángel Russo, Al Nassr was unable to secure any trophies that season, leading to Russo's departure and the appointment of Rudi Garcia as head coach.[citation needed]
Garcia oversaw a significant squad overhaul, bringing in new players, including Villarreal full-back Álvaro González Soberon, who was a free agent at the time. With a strengthened squad, Garcia aimed for a domestic treble, Talisca scored his first hat-trick for Al Nassr in a 4–1 away win against Al-Raed, which helped him become the league's top scorer before Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.[citation needed]
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 Social media accounts growing to unbelievable numbers.[8] Al Nassr finished in second place in the 2022–23 season.
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 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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 minutes later, 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
2024
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.[citation needed]
Before the second half of the season, Al Nassr were supposed to go on a tour to China facing Shanghai Shenhua on 24 January and Zhejiang Professional on 28 January but the tour was delayed 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.[citation needed]
Al Nassr were knocked out of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League by Al-Ain in the quarter finals, losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 4–3 in the second leg, which led a 4–4 aggregate to penalties, which they lost 1–3.[citation needed]
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's history. Ronaldo won the golden boot and broke the record for most goals scored in a single SPL season. However, fans were angry after losing every domestic title and getting knocked out of the Champions League at the start of the 2024–25 season. The president Ibrahim al-Muhaidib resigned for not being given enough control over the club, and the club completed the signings of Mohamed Simakan from RB Leipzig, Ângelo Gabriel from Chelsea, plus Wesley and Bento from the Brazilian Série A during the transfer window, as well as manager Luis Castro being replaced in September 2024 by Stefano Pioli due to poor pre-season performances and a devastating 4-1 loss to rivals Al-Hilal. On 20 September, Al-Nassr announced the launching of a TV channel for the club under the name of "NASSR TV", in partnership with DAZN. The channel is the first of its kind in the country and the region.[9]
2025
On January 1, 2025, Majid Al-Jam'an replaced Guido Fienga as the club's Executive Director, with Fienga becoming the club's advisor after public pressure from the supporters.[10]
In the winter window, Al-Nassr signed Jhon Durán from Aston Villa and sold Seko Fofana for €20,000,000 to the French side Rennais,[11] making it the biggest sale to a team outside the Saudi Pro League, although higher sales have been made within the league itself.
On July 19, 2025, José Semedo was unveiled as the acting CEO for Al-Nassr, following the departure of Majid Al-Jam'an due to restructuring demanded by Cristiano Ronaldo[12] On July 28, 2025, Simão Coutinho was unveiled as the new Al-Nassr Sporting Director, following the departure of Fernando Hierro.[13] Later, they completed the signings of three crucial players: João Félix from Chelsea after a successful hijack against Benfica, Iñigo Martínez on a free transfer from FC Barcelona, and Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich. Al-Nassr ended up losing the Saudi Super Cup final to Al-Ahli on penalties despite efforts to improve the team further.
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 Arabian 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.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Since the PIF acquired the club, the president has become more of an honorary figure, attending formal events and honoring the winners in various sectors of the club. The president no longer holds real decision-making power, with the last president to truly hold such authority being the 16th president. The current president can only advise the executive director, who now holds all decision-making authority.[27]
Al-Nassr has won a combined total of 28 official championships and 46 overall. In Saudi football, there is a project to document the country's football history, and many clubs are seeking to add trophies won in the past to their records. Depending on the outcome of this project, Al-Nassr and other clubs may see their official trophy count increase. The club holds various domestic and international records. The club is the first Asian club to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. On a continental level, Al-Nassr has appeared in four Asian finals, with two victories and two runner-up finishes.[28][29][30][31][32][33]
Al Nassr youth sector is the youth set-up of Al Nassr FC, The sector operates the system for boys from the age of nine upwards including teams and an academy.
↑ Pierrend, José. "FIFA Awards". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
↑ Abdulaziz, Al Sharif (31 January 2014). "39 tournaments". Sabq Media Group. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
↑ Pierrend, José. "FIFA Awards". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Champions' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Cup Winners' Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Super Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
↑ A note: The top tier of Saudi football has undergone several rebrandings. Al Nassr has won five Premier League titles, three Pro League titles, and one Categorization League title.
↑ Same competition, rebranded several times, similar to the European Cup (now known as the UEFA Champions League).
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