"The coach preferred Cristiano Ronaldo over everyone else" - Pundit claims few Al-Nassr stars celebrated Luis Castro's dismissal
Football pundit Mohammad Al-Deayea has claimed that former Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro preferred Cristiano Ronaldo over other stars in the club. As a result, the players were jubilant when the Portuguese tactician left the Knights of Najd.
The decision to sack Cristiano Ronaldo's compatriot came after a poor start to the season for Al-Nassr. They were seventh in the Saudi Pro League table, with just five points in three games when Luis Castro was finally sacked on September 17.
Talking about Castro's dismissal, former Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Deayea said on the Dorina Gear program (via ysscores.com):
"There are some players who celebrated after Castro's dismissal, because they did not play with him regularly, and they did not feel confident with him."
Mohammad Al-Deayea slammed Luis Castro, alleging that he provided preferential treatment to Ronaldo while ignoring other marquee players in the team.
“The coach preferred Cristiano Ronaldo over everyone else, despite the presence of prominent names in the team and a lot of progress, but he only cared about his compatriot, which is unacceptable, and caused the players’ level to decline due to the psychological factor," he added.
“It is true that Cristiano is a high-level scorer and the best player in the world but the interaction should have been better with the other players. Al-Nassr appeared well in the first match with Pioli because of his interaction,” concluded Mohammad Al-Deayea.
Al-Nassr played a total of 54 games under the tutelage of Luis Castro, amassing an average of 2.17 points per game. The only silverware they won under Castro was the 2023 Arabic Club Champions Cup, defeating Al-Hilal in the final. However, the tournament is not recognized as an official competition by FIFA.
Cristiano Ronaldo sends parting note to Luis Castro after the latter leaves Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo sent a note of gratitude to Luis Castro after the latter was sacked by the Knights of Najd. The official X handle of the club announced the departure of the Portuguese tactician, stating:
"Al-Nassr can announce that Head Coach Luis Castro has left the Club. Everyone at AlNassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months, wishing them the best of luck for the future."
Soon after, Ronaldo took to Instagram to thank Luis Castro for his contributions, writing:
"Thank you for everything."
Luis Castro was the third manager to leave the Knights of Najd after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023. Former AS Roma manager Rudi Garcia was the first to leave the club on April 12, 2023. His replacement, Dinko Jelicic held office for just 78 days before Luis Castro's appointment on July 6, 2023.
Soon after Luis Castro's dismissal, the club appointed Italian tactician Stefano Pioli as their head coach. The former AC Milan manager had the perfect start to life in the Middle East, with Al-Nassr winning his first game against Al-Ettifaq by 3-0 on September 20.