History of Al Nassr FC in Timeline

Al-Nassr FC is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, competing in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of Saudi football. It is one of the three clubs that have participated in every season of the highest-tier Saudi league since its beginning. Beyond football, Al-Nassr operates as a multi-sports club, featuring teams for both men and women in handball, basketball, esports, volleyball, and other sports.

1955: Establishment of Al Nassr

In 1955, Al Nassr was established by the Al-Ja'ba brothers, with training taking place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah.

1963: Promotion to First Division

In 1963, Al Nassr was promoted to the first division.

1990: King's Cup Win

In 1990, Al Nassr secured a victory in the King's Cup tournament.

1993: Saudi Premier League Title

In 1993, Al Nassr won the Saudi Premier League title.

1994: Saudi Premier League Title

In 1994, Al Nassr won the Saudi Premier League title.

1995: Saudi Premier League Title

In 1995, Al Nassr won the Saudi Premier League title.

1997: Federation Cup Victory

In 1997, Al Nassr clinched the Federation Cup.

April 1998: Majed Abdullah's Retirement

On April 12, 1998, Majed Abdullah announced his retirement after Al-Nassr's win in the 1998 Asian Cup Winner's Cup against Suwon Samsung Bluewings. He retired as the all-time top scorer of the Saudi League with 189 goals and Al-Nassr's all-time top scorer with 260 goals.

1998: Asian Double

In 1998, Al-Nassr achieved an Asian double by securing both the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup, marking a significant achievement at the continental level.

2000: FIFA Club World Cup Participation

In 2000, Al-Nassr represented the AFC region in the FIFA Club World Cup, playing against Corinthians, Real Madrid, and Raja Casablanca. They finished 6th and won the FIFA Fair Play Award, becoming the first team to represent Asia in an international tournament.

2006: Near Relegation and Intervention

In 2006, Al-Nassr struggled and barely avoided relegation on the last day of the season, prompting intervention from honorary members like Majed Abdullah to restructure the management.

2008: Federation Cup Win

In 2008, Al Nassr won the Federation Cup against city rivals, Al-Hilal.

2009: Signing of Mohammad Al-Sahlawi

In 2009, Al Nassr made a record-breaking transfer by signing Mohammad Al-Sahlawi from Al-Qadsiah for SR32 million ($8 million).

2009: Al-Sahlawi's First Season

In 2009, during his first season with Al-Nassr, Al-Sahlawi scored 21 goals in 36 matches and received the Young Player of the Year award from STC.

2010: King's Cup and Crown Prince Cup

In the 2010 season, Al Nassr aimed to become the Saudi giant under coach Francisco Maturana but lost to Al-Hilal in a penalty shootout in the Crown Prince Cup final.

2011: AFC Champions League Matches

In 2011, Al Nassr had a 2–2 draw against Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League, won 2–1 against Esteghlal, and was defeated by Al-Sadd.

2011: AFC Champions League Round of Sixteen

In 2011, Al Nassr was defeated by Zob Ahan 4–1 in the round of sixteen of the AFC Champions League. Bader Al-Mutawa, scored.

2013: Appointment of Jose Daniel Carreno

In 2013, Jose Daniel Carreno replaced the club coach, leading Al Nassr on a 22-game win streak.

2014: Pro League Title Defense

In 2014, Al Nassr continued to defend their title as champions, winning the league, but failed to achieve a treble after losing in the King's Cup final.

2015: AFC Champions League Qualification

Following an astonishing season in 2013-14, Al Nassr secured their place in the 2015 AFC Champions League.

2015: Al-Sahlawi's Goal Count

In the 2015–16 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 10 goals in his 29 appearances.

2016: Transfer of Croatian Players

At the start of the 2016 season, Al Nassr transferred two Croatian players to the club: Ivan Tomecak and Marin Tomasov. Abdullah Madu also started playing with the club.

2016: Al-Sahlawi's Goal Count

In the 2016–17 season, Al-Sahlawi scored 11 goals in 27 appearances.

2017: Crown Prince Cup Runner-Up

In 2017, Al Nassr finished second in the Crown Prince Cup, losing to Al Hilal, and failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2017.

March 2018: Signing of Sultan Al-Ghannam

On March 12, 2018, Al Nassr's coach Gustavo Quinteros signed Sultan Al-Ghannam on a free transfer from Al-Faisaly.

August 2018: Signing of Nordin Amrabat

On August 23, 2018, Nordin Amrabat joined the Saudi Pro League, signing with Al Nassr.

2018: AFC Champions League Ineligibility

In 2018, Al Nassr failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2018.

2018: League Title Win

In the 2018-19 season, Al Nassr won the league title, with Hamdallah scoring a record 34 goals.

January 2019: Hamdallah's First Hat-Trick

On January 3, 2019, Hamdallah scored his first hat-trick for Al Nassr against Al-Jandal in the Round of 64 of the 2019 King's Cup.

April 2019: King Cup Semi-Final Loss

On April 27, 2019, Hamdallah scored a double in a 4–2 loss in the semi-final against Al-Ittihad in the 2019 King Cup.

2019: AFC Champions League Quarter-Final Defeat

In 2019, Al Nassr was defeated by Al-Sadd 4–3 in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.

2019: Talisca's Chinese Super League Win

Prior to joining Al Nassr, Talisca had won the 2019 Chinese Super League title with Guangzhou Evergrande.

January 2020: 2019 Saudi Super Cup Win

On January 4, 2020, Hamdallah scored in a 1–1 draw against Al-Taawoun to win the 2019 Saudi Super Cup.

November 2020: Termination of Hamdallah's Contract

On November 23, 2020, Al Nassr officially terminated the contract of striker Abderrazak Hamdallah but allowed him to continue playing for the remainder of his contract. The club also began searching for a replacement.

2020: Debut of New Players

During the second half of the 2020–21 Saudi Pro League season, Talisca and Vincent Aboubakar made their debut for Al Nassr.

2020: AFC Champions League Group Stage

In 2020, Al Nassr participated in the AFC Champions League group stage, drawing 2–2 with Al-Sadd and winning against Sepahan, with Hamdallah scoring in multiple matches.

January 2021: 2020 Saudi Super Cup Win

On January 30, 2021, Hamdallah scored in a 3–0 victory against rivals Al-Hilal to win the 2020 Saudi Super Cup.

May 2021: Signing of Talisca

On May 17, 2021, Talisca officially joined Al Nassr for a reported transfer fee of $9.5 million.

June 2021: Signing of Vincent Aboubakar

On June 8, 2021, Vincent Aboubakar signed for Al Nassr with a reported transfer fee of $6 million.

August 2021: Talisca and Aboubakar debut in victory

In August 2021, Talisca and Aboubakar debuted for Al Nassr in a 4–1 victory over Damac, with both scoring along with Hamdallah. In the following match in August 2021, Talisca scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Al-Faisaly.

January 2022: Masharipov returns to Al Nassr

In January 2022, Jalolidin Masharipov returned to Al Nassr from his loan at Shabab Al-Ahli and appeared in a 1–0 victory against Al-Fateh.

December 2022: Al Nassr signs Cristiano Ronaldo

On 30 December 2022, Al Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo on a two-and-a-half year contract until summer 2025, with a salary of €200 million per year. The signing immediately impacted the club's global following.

January 2023: Signing of Cristiano Ronaldo

In January 2023, Al-Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo, a move that revolutionized Saudi Arabian football, attracted top-level European players to the Saudi Pro League, and generated significant exposure for Saudi Arabian football.

July 2023: Arab Club Champions Cup group stage

On 28 July 2023, Al Nassr faced Al-Shabab in the Arab Club Champions Cup, drawing 0–0. Later, they won against US Monastir 4–1 with a goal from Ronaldo. Against Zamalek, Ronaldo equalized in the 87th minute, securing a 1–1 draw and a spot in the next stage.

August 2023: Al Nassr wins Arab Club Champions Cup

On 12 August 2023, Al Nassr won the Arab Club Champions Cup final against Al-Hilal 2–1 in extra time, with Ronaldo scoring both goals. He finished as the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals, winning the Golden Boot, and Nawaf Al-Aqidi won the Golden Glove.

August 2023: Al Nassr advances to Arab Club Champions Cup Final

On 6 August 2023, Al Nassr defeated Raja Casablanca 3–1 to advance in the Arab Club Champions Cup. On 9 August 2023, Ronaldo's penalty secured a 1–0 victory against Al-Shorta, placing Al Nassr in the final for the first time.

2023: AFC Champions League quarter-final exit

Al Nassr were knocked out of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League by Al-Ain in the quarter finals, losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 4–3 in the second leg, which led a 4–4 aggregate to penalties, which they lost 1–3.

2023: Al Nassr's performance at the end of the year

At the end of 2023, Al Nassr was 2nd in the league and 1st in their AFC Champions League group. Talisca led the AFC Champions League golden boot standings with 8 goals. Al Nassr qualified for the King's Cup semi-finals after defeating Al-Shabab 5–1.

2023: Arrival of ex-European players

Following Cristiano Ronaldo's move, in the summer of 2023, several ex-European team players including Otávio, Sadio Mané, Aymeric Laporte, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, Aziz Behich and Alex Telles joined Al Nassr.

2023: Ronaldo recognized as global top scorer

The IFFHS recognized Cristiano Ronaldo as the global top scorer for the 2023 calendar year, with 54 goals.

February 2024: Ronaldo's goalscoring in 2024

As of February 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo has 30 goals in the first half of the season, scoring in every competition.

February 2024: Riyadh Season Cup

In February 2024, Al Nassr faced Saudi rivals, Al-Hilal, on 8 February 2024 and MLS side Inter Miami in the Riyadh Season Cup.

September 2024: Manager Luis Castro replaced

After losing every domestic title and getting knocked out of the Champions League at the start of the 2024–25 season, fans were angry, and manager Luis Castro was replaced in September 2024 by Stefano Pioli.

September 2024: Al-Nassr Launch TV Channel

On 20 September 2024, Al-Nassr announced the launching of a TV channel for the club under the name of "NASSR TV", in partnership with DAZN. The channel is the first of its kind in the country and the region.

2024: Market Value

As of 2024, Al-Nassr has a market value of €144 million, making it the third-highest in Saudi Arabia.

2025: End of Ronaldo's contract

Cristiano Ronaldo's two-and-a-half year contract with Al Nassr is set to end in the summer of 2025.

2025: Majid Al-Jam'an replaces Guido Fienga as Executive Director

On January 1st, 2025, Majid Al-Jam'an replaced Guido Fienga as the club's Executive Director, with Fienga becoming the club's advisor after public pressure from the supporters.