"Let’s all pray he’s good" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr hire Stefano Pioli as club's new manager
Fans have reacted after Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr confirmed Stefana Pioli as the club's new manager. The Saudi Arabian club have brought in the former AC Milan manager as a replacement for Luis Castro who was sacked on Tuesday, September 17.
The Knights of Najd parted ways with Castro following a series of poor results this season. The most recent was a 1-1 draw with Iraqi club Al Shorta away in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, September 15.
Pioli will now be charged with the responsibility of leading Ronaldo and his teammates to glory this season. The club posted a welcome video on their X handle (formerly Twitter), officially announcing the appointment of the Italian manager.
Following the announcement of Piolli's appointment, fans reacted to the post on X. They hope that the new manager will take the club to greater heights as compared to his predecessor, as can be seen from their reactions below:
"Let’s all pray he’s good," one fan wrote.
Another fan urged the new manager to get the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates:
"Get the best out of the squad you’re given, Mr Pioli!, the fan said.
"Welcome coach. Biggest club in Asia is waiting for you," a fan wrote, welcoming Pioli to the club.
One fan hoped that the new manager's tactics would help end Al-Hilal's dominance over Al-Nassr:
"Hope his tactics help us to beat Al Hilal," the fan commented.
Fans will be eager to see how the Knights of Najd fair under Stefano Pioli's reign. They will have a glimpse of his style and philosophy when the club takes on Al-Ettifaq away in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, September 20.
Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to continue flourishing under new manager Stefano Pioli
Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to continue flourishing for Al-Nassr under the tutelage of new manager Stefano Pioli. The Knights of Najd recently announced the former AC Milan coach as their new manager following the sacking of Luis Castro.
Ronaldo was arguably Al-Nassr's best player under Castro's regime. The Portuguese icon recorded an impressive 47 goals and 16 assists in 48 games with Castro as manager.
However, despite Ronaldo's impressive output, the club failed to achieve major success. Last term, they finished runners-up in both the league and Kings Cup to rivals Al-Hilal. This season, they lost 4-1 in the Saudi Super Cup against Al-Hilal. They've also won just one of their three league games so far, drawing the other two.