Jorge Jesus has openly admitted that the main reason he took over at Al-Nassr was the desire to help Cristiano Ronaldo win trophies in Saudi Arabia.
The veteran coach is now just one step away from achieving this goal, as the Saudi Pro League season is coming to a dramatic end.
Jesus has revealed that the chance to end Ronaldo's wait for a major trophy in Saudi Arabia was the sole motivation that convinced him to return to Riyadh. Despite previous successes with rivals Al-Hilal, he decided to accept the challenge after talks with Al-Nassr's management and the Portuguese star himself.
Speaking before the final match of the season, Jesus explained the reason for his decision.
"When I received the invitation from [Al-Nassr CEO José] Semedo and Cris [Cristiano Ronaldo], I accepted this challenge only to help Cris win titles in Saudi Arabia," Jesus declared. "That was my goal."
Ronaldo, now 41, has been extremely productive since moving to Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United at the end of 2022. He has reached the 100-goal mark in the league for the Saudi club, but the big trophies have still eluded him.
Its only success so far has been the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, a tournament considered unofficial. Frustration has been compounded by several near misses, including four final defeats.
"Every title is different and we want this very much, for the Al-Nassr nation and for Cris as well. It's essential," Jesus added. "Especially for everything he has done not only for Saudi football but also for Al-Nassr."
After guiding Al-Hilal to a domestic treble in the 2023/24 season, Jesus admitted that returning Al-Nassr to the title has been the biggest professional challenge of his career. He said the difficulty is even greater because he himself helped build Al-Hilal's current squad.
"Al-Nassr has been the most challenging project. I understand that this has been the most difficult project of my sporting career," admitted Jesus. "Why? Because I knew the opponents and for two years I helped the great rival, Al-Hilal, create a super team."
Despite their recent 1-0 defeat to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final, Al-Nassr remain top of the domestic table. The team has a two-point lead over Al-Hilal ahead of the season-deciding match against Damac, where victory would secure their first league title since 2019.
Jesus remains fully focused on the championship title.
“From day one, our main objective has been to be declared champions of Saudi Arabia,” he concluded. “If we had to choose, we would always choose to become champions of Saudi Arabia. That is our main goal, that is why we came here.” /GazetaExpress/
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