Former Real Madrid manager has rejected a €150m offer to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr - Reports
Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has reportedly turned down an offer worth €150 million for two years to reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. The outfit is set to look for a new manager in the summer.
They parted ways with Rudi Garcia mid-season. Dinko Jelicic has been in charge of the side on an interim basis since.
A few high-profile names like Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane were linked with taking charge at Al-Nassr next season. However, Zidane has turned down the chance, according to Santo Aouna.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a stellar record under Zidane. The Frenchman took over at Real Madrid after Rafael Benitez was sacked in the middle of the 2015-16 season. Ronaldo won three back-to-back UEFA Champions League trophies under the Frenchman and was the top scorer in all of those editions.
The Portuguese played 114 matches under Zidane, scoring 112 goals and providing 30 assists.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, will go trophyless this season if they don't win the Saudi Pro League. They have 63 points from 28 matches and trail league leaders Al-Ittihad by six points.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacted to Al-Nassr's win against Al-Shabab
Al-Nassr won their most recent clash against Al-Shabab by a score of 3-2. Despite being 2-0 down, Al-Alamy managed to register a comeback win with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a spectacular winner.
Speaking after the game, Ronaldo claimed that the Saudi Pro League will soon be among the top five leagues in the world. He said (via Saudi Pro League's official website):
“In my opinion, the Saudi league is getting better and the next year will be even better. Step-by-step, I think this league will be [among] the top-five leagues in the world, but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure. But I believe that this country has amazing potential, they have amazing people and the league will be great, in my opinion.”
He also lauded the team's resilience in the latest comeback win, saying:
“The team did a fantastic game. A 2-0 defeat is very, very difficult, but we believe until the end and we score three goals. Congratulations to the whole team and the supporters were amazing today. So, we are very happy.”
Al-Nassr will return to action on May 27 as they take on Al-Ettifaq away from home. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has already scored 14 goals and has provided three assists since his January debut, is once again expected to lead the attack.