Al-Nassr FC

Al-Nassr
Full name Al Nassr Football Club
Nickname(s) the International
Founded 24 October 1955[1]
Ground King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh
Capacity 68,752[2]
Chairman Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser
Manager Jorge da Silva
League Saudi Professional League
2013–14 Saudi Premier League, 1st
Website Club home page

Al-Nassr FC (Arabic: نادي النصر; Victory) is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955 the club plays its home games at King Fahd Stadium and Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. Its home colours are yellow and blue.

Al-Nassr is one of the most popular clubs in Saudi Arabia, with 22 official championships to its back.[3]

The club have won 6 Premier League titles, 2 GCC Champions League titles, 3 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, 6 Saudi King's Cups, and holds the impressive feat of pulling a historic Asian double in 1998, by claiming both the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup, with 4 appearances on continental finals.[4] This achievement landed Al-Nassr a spot in the first FIFA Club World Cup where it won the Fair Play award, thus, making Al-Nassr the first club from Asia to play on a global level, as well as win such an award.[5] This in turn, gave the club its famous nickname: "The Global".

FIFA considers Al-Nassr as the vanguard to Saudi Arabian football, with Majed Abdullah as its most legendary player, having held the first three Asian Player of the Year awards.[6]

History

Beginnings and triumphs (1955-1989)

Al-Nassr was established in 1955 by the brothers Husein and Zeid Al-Ja'ba in their house on Al-Ataif Street in Riyadh. Training took place in an old playground at Gashlat Al-Shortah west of Al-Fotah Garden where there was a small football field and a small room to store balls and shirts. In addition to Al-Ja'ba Brothers, Ali and Issa Al-Owais were among the first workers at the club.

The club operated as an amateur club until 1960 when it was registered officially with the General Presidency of Youth Welfare. It was at this time that Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud became head of Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr started in the second division of the league. They were promoted to the first division in 1963. During the 1970s and 1980s, the club won eight Saudi Regional League titles, four Saudi Premier League titles, six King's Cups, two Crown Prince Cups and one Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Herafy and Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan.

Majed Ahmed Abdullah is Al-Nassr's all-time leader in goals scored and appearances.

Golden era (1989-2003)

In the 1990s, Al-Nassr won two further Saudi Premier League titles, a King's Cup and a Federation Cup. They also had success in several international tournaments, winning two GCC Champions Leagues, one Asian Cup Winners' Cup and one Asian Super Cup. The club represented the AFC region in the first FIFA Club World Cup in Brazil in 2000. In the competition Al-Nassr played against Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca, and finished 3rd in the group. Al-Nassr won the competition's Fair Play award.

Setbacks (2003-2008)

After the Golden Trio's retirement, Al-Nassr went into some major setbacks. In 2006–07, the club only avoided relegation on the last day of the season, which prompted honorary members of the club to begin an effective long-term plan, to revolutionize management and team members.

Return of The Global (2008-present)

After a major overhaul of playing staff, Al-Nassr went on to win the Federation Cup 2008 against city rivals, Al-Hilal. The club finished third in 2009–10 securing Asian Champions League football for the following season. In 2011-12, Al-Nassr saw itself on the King Cup's final, only to finish as a runners-up, and in 2012-13, Al-Nassr continued its steady steps into returning to the Saudi giant it once was, where it reached the Crown Prince Cup final, only to lose to Al-Hilal on penalties.

In 2013-14, Al-Nassr finally achieved its long-term goal of returning to crowning stages, by earning an impressive double against Al-Hilal on both league and Crown Prince cups. The team subsequently qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League following the astonishing accomplishment.

Name, Logo and Colors

old crest

Al-Nassr is the Arabic word for "victory". Clubs with the same name are found in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Libya but the Saudi Arabian club was the first to take the name.

The Club's logo represents the map of Saudi Arabia with yellow and blue colors. Yellow for the gorgeous sand in the Arabian deserts, and blue for the magnificent water in the Arabian seas. Recently the old logo has been replaced by a "more modern version", but still is heavily influenced by the old club logo. The new Logo only represent the Football team while the old logo represent the Club as a whole.

Sponsorship

Since the start of the 2013/2014 season, Al-Nassr has lacked any sponsors. Yet, still managed to pull through with a double, by winning the Crown Prince's cup, as well as finishing first in the SPL. In the 2014/2015 season, Al-Nassr managed to land on multiple sponsors, including electronic manufacturer UGINE, and telecom giants Mobily for a developing partnership that spans for almost 5 years, beginning with a small advert on the team's jerseys, all for an undisclosed fee nearing $32,000,000 dollars a year.[7][8]

Kit providers

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Saudi Arabia GK Abdullah Al-Shammeri
22 Saudi Arabia GK Abdullah Al-Enezi
31 Saudi Arabia GK Mutab Sharahili
32 Saudi Arabia GK Hussain Shae'an
2 Bahrain DF Mohamed Husain
3 Saudi Arabia DF Abdulla Madou
4 Saudi Arabia DF Omar Hawsawi
5 Saudi Arabia DF Jamaan Al-Dawssari
12 Saudi Arabia DF Khalid Al-Ghamdi
13 Saudi Arabia DF Mohamed Eid
19 Saudi Arabia DF Kamel Al-Mor
20 Saudi Arabia DF Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi
24 Saudi Arabia DF Hussain Abdulghani (captain)
6 Saudi Arabia MF Ahmad Abbas
No. Position Player
8 Saudi Arabia MF Yahya Al-Shehri
14 Saudi Arabia MF Ibrahim Ghaleb (vice-captain)
15 Saudi Arabia MF Ahmed Al-Fraidi
16 Saudi Arabia MF Abdulaziz Al-Jebreen
25 Saudi Arabia MF Khaled Al-Zylaeei
26 Saudi Arabia MF Shaya Sharahili
27 Saudi Arabia MF Awad Khamees
29 Saudi Arabia MF Mosaab Al-Otaibi
86 Poland MF Adrian Mierzejewski
10 Saudi Arabia FW Mohammad Al-Sahlawi
18 Ecuador FW Armando Wila
21 Uruguay FW Fabián Estoyanoff
99 Saudi Arabia FW Hassan Al-Raheb

Personnel

Current technical Staff

Position Name
Head Coach Uruguay Jorge da Silva
Assistant Coach Spain Carlos Corberán
Fitness Coach Spain Jorge Alarcon
Goalkeeping Coach Colombia René Higuita
Club Doctor Syria Wael Miskeh
Physiotherapist Jordan Azeim Deeb
Masseur Jordan Ziad Al Rantisi
Translator Egypt Mahmoud Fayez
Translator Syria Mahmoud Hannan
Under-21 Team Coach Saudi Arabia Bandr Al-Omran
Under-19 Team Coach Vacant
Under-17 Team Coach Vacant
Coach Shoots Vacant

Management

Current board of directors and administrators

Office Name
President Prince Faisal Bin Turki Bin Nasser
Vice-president Fahad Al-Mshaiqh
Member of the board of directors, General Supervisor of Football Administration Al-Waleed Bin Bader
Member of the Board, Investment Officer Bader Al-Harbi
Member of the Board, Director of Football Administration Mohammed Al-Suwailem
Member of the Board, Director of Football Salem Al-Othman
Member of the Board,Secretary-General Ali Hamdan
Assistant Secretary-General Abdulrahman Saad Al-Ghamdi
Member of the Board, Director of the Media Center Ali Hamdan
Member of the Board, Deputy Director of the Media Centre Talal Al-Naggar‏
Member of the Board, Treasurer Mansour Al-Shalhoub
Member of the Board Hamod Al-Shehri
Public Relations Officer Mohammed Al-Khering
Professionals Office Manager Jaafar Al-Subaie
Club Accountant Hassan al-Hazmi
Secretary of the club Badawi ElDesoki

Former coaches

  • Sudan Ahmed Al-Joker (1960–62)
  • Saudi Arabia Ahmied Abdullah (1962–65)
  • Syria Lamaat Qatna (1966–67)
  • Sudan Abdulmajid Tarnah (1967–69)
  • Saudi Arabia Hassan Sultan (1969–70)
  • Egypt Zaki Osman (1971)
  • Egypt Mimi Abdulmajid (1972)
  • Sudan Hassan Khairi (1973–74)
  • Egypt Mahmoud Abu Rojeila (1975)
  • Spain Vivas (1976)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ljubiša Broćić (1976–79)
  • Brazil Chico Formiga (1980–81)
  • Brazil Mário Zagallo (1981)
  • Brazil Francisco Sarno (1983)
  • Brazil José Chira (1983)
  • Brazil Carpergiani (1983–84)
  • France Robert Herbin (1985–86)
  • Northern Ireland Billy Bingham (1987–88)
  • Brazil Joel Santana (1988–89)
  • Saudi Arabia Yousef Khamis (1989)
  • Brazil Claudio Deorati (1990)

Presidential history

Abdul-Rahman bin Saud bin Abdul-Aziz, Al-Nassr president for more than 36 years.
No Name From To
1 Saudi Arabia Mr. Zeid Al-Ja'ba 1955 1956
2 Saudi Arabia Mr. Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed 1956 1960
3 Saudi Arabia Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Al-Odaini 1960 1960
4 Saudi Arabia Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Al-Odaini 1960 1960
5 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud 1960 1969
6 Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan Bin Saud 1969 1975
7 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud 1975 1997
8 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Bin Saud 1997 2000
9 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud 2000 2005
10 Saudi Arabia Prince Mamdoh Bin Abdulrahman Bin Saud 2005 2006
11 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Bin Saud 2006 2009
12 Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Turki Bin Nasser 2009 –

Honours

Al-Nassr have won a combined total of 41 championships 22 official 19 friendly,[9] with many domestic and international records.[10] The club is recognized by FIFA as the first Asian club to play on a global level, as well as the first club in the world to win the FIFA Fair Play Award in the Club World Cup.[11][12] On a continental level, Al-Nassr appeared on 4 Asian finals, with two victories, and two times as runners-up.[13][14][15]

National titles

International titles

International Award

2000

Records and Statistics

International Records

Internationally, Al-Nassr boasts many appearances, both in the Arab world and on the international scale. In 1996 and 1997, Al-Nassr won the GCC Champions League twice in a row, and ran for runners-up in 2008. Al-Nassr appeared in Syria's international tournament, the Damascus International Championship in 2004, and won. Al-Nassr also had successful appearances in Emirati international tournaments, such the Bani Yas International Tournament, winning it two times in 2011 and 2013, as well as winning Al-Wehda International Cup in 2012. Other UAFA participations include a single appearance in the Arab Cup Winners' Cup in the year 2000, as well as the Arab Super Cup in 2001. It reached finals on both occasions, only to finish course as runners-up, with the two cups going defunct ever since.

FIFA Club World Cup

Winning the Asian Super Cup in 1998 allowed Al-Nassr to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. In doing so, they became the first team to officially represent Asia in an international tournament, which was held in Brazil from 5 January till 14 January, in the year 2000. The nickname "The Global Club" was obtained following their respective participation in the Club World Cup. Al-Nassr won the FIFA Fair play award following the end of the Club World Cup, and were the first team in the world to win such an award.[18]

Al-Nassr were drawn in Group A along with Corinthians (tournament champion), Real Madrid and Raja Casablanca.

Al-Nassr Results

2000-01-05
18:45
Real Madrid Spain 3 – 1 Saudi Arabia Al Nassr
Anelka  21'
Raúl  62'
Sávio  69' (pen.) 		(Report) Al Husseini  45' (pen.)
Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Oscar Ruiz (Colombia)

2000-01-07
21:15
Raja Casablanca Morocco 3 – 4 Saudi Arabia Al Nassr
Nejjary  13'
El Moubarki  81'
El Karkouri  87' 		(Report) Amin  3'
Bahja  48'
Al-Husseini  50'
Saïb  87'
Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Derek Rugg (New Zealand)

2000-01-10
21:15
Al Nassr Saudi Arabia 0 – 2 Brazil Corinthians
(Report) Ricardinho  24'
Rincón  81'
Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo
Attendance: 31,000
Referee: Dick Jol (Netherlands)
Group A Standing
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Brazil Corinthians 321062+47
Spain Real Madrid 321085+37
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 310258−33
Morocco Raja Casablanca 300359−40
Participating Squad
Number Player
Goalkeepers
1 Saudi Arabia Madhi AL DOSARI
22 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Al-Khojali
9 Saudi Arabia Mohamed Shareefy
Defenders
2 Saudi Arabia Nasser AL HALWI
5 Morocco Smahi Triki
4 Saudi Arabia Saleh ABOSHAHIN
12 Saudi Arabia Hamad AL KHATHRAN
16 Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Al-Janoubi
20 Saudi Arabia Mohsin Harthi
21 Saudi Arabia Hadi SHARIFY
23 Saudi Arabia Ibrahim AL SHOKIA
Midfielders
3 Saudi Arabia Faisal AL DOSARI
6 Saudi Arabia Ibrahim AL HARBI
8 Saudi Arabia Fahd Al-Herafy
10 Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
14 Saudi Arabia Nassip AL GHAMDI
17 Saudi Arabia Mansour AL MOUSA
18 Saudi Arabia Abdullah AL KARNI
Forwards
7 Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Mehallel
11 Saudi Arabia Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan
13 Morocco Ahmed Bahja
15 Saudi Arabia Nahar AL DHAFERI
19 Algeria Moussa Saïb
Manager
- Serbia Milan Živadinović

Asian ranking

As of 10 March 2015.[19]
Current Rank Country Team
6 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr FC
7 Indonesia Persib Bandung
8 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira Club 9 Indonesia Persipura Jayapura
10 Australia Adelaide United

References

  1. ↑ "Club History". http://www.alnassrfc.com/sa/''. Al Nassr FC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Stadium". http://www.alnassrfc.com/''. Al Nassr FC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Al Nassr FC Trophies". http://www.alnassrfc.com/''. Al Nassr FC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Al Nassr FC Trophies". http://www.alnassrfc.com/''. Al Nassr FC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Al Nassr FC Trophies". alnassrfc.com. Al Nassr Football Club. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Classic Club: Al Nasr, the Saudi Vanguard". http://www.fifa.com/''. FIFA. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Rayan, Abu. "Coverage of Mobily partnership". http://www.nassr.com/''. Nassr Official Media Center. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Al Otaibi, Bandar. "Al-Nassr and Mobily Sign a 5-Year Partnership". http://www.alriyadh.com/''. Al Riyadh Newspaper. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Al Nassr FC Trophies". alnassrfc.com. Al Nassr Football Club. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Abdulaziz, Al Sharif. ""العالمي".. 39 بطولة تطرز تاريخ النادي (الستيني)". http://sabq.org/''. Sabq Media Group. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup 2000". http://www.fifa.com/''. FIFA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Pierrend, José. "FIFA Awards". http://www.rsssf.com/''. The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Champions' Cup". http://www.rsssf.com/''. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Cup Winners' Cup". http://www.rsssf.com/''. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  15. ↑ Halchuk, Stephen. "Asian Super Cup". http://www.rsssf.com/''. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  16. ↑ http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/club=1895079/index.html
  17. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup 2000". http://www.fifa.com/''. FIFA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Pierrend, José. "FIFA Awards". http://www.rsssf.com/''. The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "Asian Football Clubs Ranking".

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al-Nassr.

Affiliated Clubs

External links

Template:Al-Nassr Seasons