Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to the sack of Rudi Garcia as Al-Nassr manager.
Al-Nassr and Rudi Garcia parted ways after a mutual agreement to terminate his contract with the club was reached this week following an unsatisfactory run in the Saudi Pro League.
Rudi Garcia, who is less than a year in his reign at the club, fell out of favor with the club hierachy after it appears Al-Nassr is losing momentum in the Saudi Pro League title race.
Futballnews understands that the former Lyon boss was under pressure after the club’s stalemate draw against Al Feiha which saw them slipped three points down from title contenders and league leaders Al-Ittihad.
With nine games remaining to the end of the season, Rudi Garcia had more than enough games to set the club on the title winning lane but there are reports Cristiano Ronaldo played a big role in his dismissal.
The Manchester United legend who joined the club in a record football deal is said to have charged the club to aim higher and raked in trophies after his arrival.
However, he met his first nightmare when the club was eliminated from the Saudi Super Cup to deny him of a chance to land his first silverware in his debut season at the club.
After the game, Rudi Garcia blamed the defeat on the dismal display by the players, including Cristiano Ronaldo for blanking goal-scoring chances.
After missing out of the Saudi Super Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo eyed the Saudi Pro League title but had to wrestle with their arch-rivals and Saudi Super Cup nemesis, Al-Ittihad.
The Saudi Pro League title race had narrowed down to Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad but it appears the club were losing the nerve to drive on against Al-Ittihad in the title race.
They lost the top spot to Al-Ittihad and were trailing by a point for weeks before they dropped points against Al Feiha and slip off the top spot by three points more.
Cristiano Ronaldo was furious after the game. He refused to join his team to shake hands with Al Feiha players before storming off the field through the exit tunnel.
Ronaldo is also said to have been concerned over the club’s dwindling fortunes under Rudi Garcia and was not in good terms with the former Lyon boss.
According to AS, Cristiano Ronaldo made his feelings clear to the club’s hierachy that they have to part ways with Garcia to arrest the sharp decline at the club.
There are also reports Ronaldo will play a big role in who becomes next Al-Nassr manager due to his overwhelming influence and idol status at the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to Rudi Garcia’s departure
Despite his seeming faceoff with Rudi Garcia, Cristiano Ronaldo immediately took to his social media page to pay tributes to Rudi Garcia after his sack.
He wrote, “Pleasure to have worked with you wishing all the best for the future.”
Rudi Garcia was appointed Al-Nassr manager on June 26, 2022. He took charge of 26 games, won 18, drew 5 and lost 3. He has a win percentage of 69.23%.
Is it a fair decision to sack him?
