Ronaldo's Saudi club Al Nassr without a coach as Pioli leaves ahead of expected return to Fiorentina
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr is without a coach after Stefano Pioli left Wednesday, with the Italian expected to return home to Fiorentina.
Al Nassr, owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, is left without a coach days before the 40-year-old Ronaldo's contract expires Monday.
The club said in a social media post 'Pioli and his staff are no more the acting coaching staff of the first team.'
Pioli previously coached Fiorentina for two seasons until 2019, then won a Serie A title in five years at AC Milan. The club let him go after the 2023-24 season and he joined Al Nassr months later when Luís Castro was fired.
Al Nassr is seeking a first domestic league title since 2019 and has parted with three full-time coaches since Ronaldo joined the club 2 1/2 years ago.
The team will play in the Asian Champions League next season after placing third in the Saudi Pro League. This was secured by winning an end-of-season legal case to be awarded a victory against a team that was judged to have fielded an ineligible player.
Ronaldo was a standout helping Portugal win the UEFA Nations League title this month.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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