<
>

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr without coach after Stefano Pioli exit

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, are 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 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 are seeking a first domestic league title since 2019 and have parted with three full-time coaches since Ronaldo joined the club 2 ½ years ago.

The team will play in the Asian Champions League next season after finishing 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 helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League title this month.