Al Nassr to part ways with coach Rudi Garcia amid reports of dressing room fall out with Cristiano Ronaldo

Saudi Arabian football club, Al-Nassr, has decided to sack their manager, Rudi Garcia. The reason for his departure is said to be due to Cristiano Ronaldo expressing his dissatisfaction with the coach's approach.

The reported departure of Rudi Garcia as Al-Nassr's manager could be attributed to Ronaldo's influence within the club. The incident at the end of the Al-Feiha match suggests that the Portuguese star may be losing patience with the team's performance and management style.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 in a record-breaking move and is earning an estimated £173 million per year. This amount includes image rights and commercial commitments, making it the highest wage in football. Given his salary, Ronaldo is likely to have significant influence within the club.

Despite Ronaldo's impressive performance with 11 league goals in just 10 games, Al-Nassr has recently lost their lead in the Saudi Arabian top division. They are currently three points behind Al-Ittihad. In their most recent match, Al-Nassr drew with Al-Feiha. The opposition team defended fiercely, surviving seven minutes of additional time to clinch a point from Al-Nassr.

After the final whistle, Ronaldo appeared visibly agitated and was caught on camera sharing some heated words with Ali Al-Zaqaan, an Al-Feiha player. He accused the team of time-wasting, saying, "You don't want to play." Ronaldo's behavior resembled his actions during Portugal's World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco, where he left the pitch without shaking hands with the opposition players.

Published on: Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 01:06 PM IST