Rudi Garcia has been fired as Al-Nassr’s trainer. The club from Saudi Arabia confirmed this on Thursday afternoon. Cristiano Ronaldo would have played a role in the departure of the French coach.
Ronaldo gets his way: Al-Nassr fires Garcia and appoints temporary successor
Garcia had been Al-Nassr’s trainer since last summer, but had been under pressure for some time due to the disappointing results. The former coach of Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseille, AS Roma and Lille is also said to have had a collision with the group of players. According to Marca, Ronaldo therefore insisted on Garcia’s departure in a meeting with the board.
This is how Ronaldo has immediately left his mark on the club since his arrival in January. The 38-year-old Portuguese scored eleven times in twelve official matches for Al-Nassr, but could not prevent his new employer from being eliminated from the cup tournament and missing the Saudi Super Cup. Al-Nassr is second in the league, three points behind leader Al-Ittihad.
Who will be Al-Nassr’s new trainer is still a guess. Jose Mourinho is one of the big names already linked to the wealthy club from Saudi Arabia, but the Portuguese seems to be staying loyal to AS Roma. For now, Under-19 coach Dinko Jelicic has been put forward as the new head coach. The 49-year-old Croatian has so far only been head coach at small clubs in his own country.
James Rodriguez (31) clubless again after seven months in Greece
We shift our focus from one ex-Real Madrid star to another. James Rodriguez’s Greek adventure has proved short-lived. Less than seven months after he signed with Olympiacos, his contract has been torn up.
“Olympiakos and James Rodriguez have decided to end their collaboration,” the club writes on social media. “James will always be a part of our club and a member of the red and white family. We would like to thank him for his services and wish him well for the future.”
The 31-year-old Colombian also saw his contract terminated prematurely in mid-September. Then at the Qatari Al-Rayyan. At Olympiakos he was reunited with former teammate Marcelo. The Brazilian already left for Fluminense in February.
The former Golden Shoe winner of the 2014 World Cup with a glorious career at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, among others, scored five goals in twenty league matches in Greece. Without Rodriguez, Olympiakos still has six games to play in the Super League. Five points behind leader Panathinaikos.
