Ange Postecoglou to manage Cristiano Ronaldo as he lands Al-Nassr role

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The Independent

3 July 2026

Ange Postecoglou

will link up with

Cristiano Ronaldo

next season after putting pen to paper on a deal to become

Al-Nassr

’s new manager.

Postecoglou has been out of managerial work since his sacking at

Nottingham Forest

after just games last season, though has found himself dipping his toes in punditry as part of the ITV line-up at the 2026 World Cup.

The Aussie 60-year-old is now bound for the Saudi Pro League, replacing Jorge Jesus who left the club immediately after guiding

to the league title.

He has signed a two-year deal with the club, which means he could be on the touchline if Ronaldo breaks the elusive 1,000-goal barrier. He is currently on 976 after scoring a penalty to help Portugal past Croatia and into the World Cup last-16.

Al-Nassr accompanied their announcement with an infamous quote from Postecoglou, which he made when he joined Forest last October.

He said: “At all my previous clubs, it ends the same. With me and a trophy.”

While he couldn’t keep this record up at the City Ground, Postecoglou does boast an impressive trophy haul from his time at Celtic and Tottenham.

Postecoglou guided Spurs to their first piece of silverware in 2025 despite a dire domestic season, lifting the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou won the Europa League at Tottenham (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

He was nevertheless sacked after that achievement, which failed to make up for the 17th-place Premier League finish he oversaw - something that was replicated by Spurs under new stewardship last term.

The Australian was more unequivocally successful at Celtic, winning a league and cup double in 2021/22 before guiding the Scottish giants to the treble a season later.

Postecoglou also spent four years as Australia manager, taking charge of them at the 2014 World Cup while also enjoying Asian Cup success in 2015.

His first game at

, whose squad also boasts the likes of Sadio Mane, Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman, will be the King of Cup Champions Clash against Diriyah on 16 August.

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