RIYADH: Al-Nassr’s pre-season preparations step up a level on Tuesday with a prestigious friendly against Paris Saint-Germain that should not only show how far they have come in recent months, but also how far there is still left to go.
Just being invited to face the French powerhouse in the Japanese city of Osaka shows that the Riyadh club now have a global profile.
The recent signings made by the club, runners-up to Al-Ittihad in last season’s Rohsn Saudi League, show that they are increasingly the match of such esteemed European opposition when it comes to affairs in the transfer market.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the biggest names in the world, arrived in the winter but the club’s ambitions have been confirmed with summer signings, the latest being Alex Telles from Manchester United.
The signing of the Brazilian shows that Al-Nassr, and indeed other top Saudi clubs, now can pick up players from some of Europe’s top clubs.
Marcelo Brozovic was last seen captaining Inter Milan in the final of the UEFA Champions League against Manchester City, just last month.
Now the Croatian, regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, is lining up for the Yellows who hope that he will prove to be a significant upgrade as the club look to return to the top of Saudi Arabian football as well as go all the way in the Asian Champions League later this year. Few, if any, continental rivals will have a player to match the 30-year-old.
From the European runners-up to the French runners-up, Al-Nassr then knocked on the door of Lens who finished second to PSG last season.
Seko Fofana knows all about Tuesday’s opposition and the Ivory Coast international has been regarded as one of the best and most consistent performers in midfield in France in recent years.
Now the 28-year-old brings his energy, physicality, and goalscoring potential to Riyadh at a time when he had many options in Europe. This is another player who is, or should be, at the peak of his powers and has much to offer.
And so, from northern France to Old Trafford with Telles.
The Brazilian international full-back arrived at Manchester United in 2020 but found himself loaned out to Sevilla last season. Now the former Inter Milan and Porto man becomes another exciting capture for Al-Nassr and will be training with his new team in Japan over the coming days.
There is never any guarantee of success when it comes to any new player but the fact that Al-Nassr have signed players from Inter Milan, Lens, and Manchester United this summer shows that the quality of import that is now heading to Riyadh is at a different level to before.
They are now dining at the top table in the frantic buffet that is the international transfer market. All that remains now is for coach Luis Castro to meld all this new talent – and there may even be more to come before the new season kicks off next month – into a team that can become champions.
In some ways, Castro, who was appointed earlier this month, is the least high-profile of all the new additions as he replaces Rudi Garcia who was let go before the end of last season. The 61-year-old has plenty of international experience with the likes of Porto, in his native Portugal, as well as Brazil’s Botafogo and Al-Duhail in Qatar. Yet this is now his most prominent international job, and the pressure will be on.
Against PSG, it is about putting on a show but also showing that Al-Nassr can match the best. In the absence of Kylian Mbappe – who looks to be on his way out and has already been linked with Al-Hilal –and already departed Lionel Messi, who was on Al-Hilal’s list before he chose Inter Miami, there is not the same star power at the French club. Coach Luis Enrique still has Neymar to call upon, but for most of the fans who head to Nagai Stadium, Ronaldo will be the main attraction.
It is unusual indeed to see an Asian team head to another Asian nation for a pre-season tour but that is where Al-Nassr are now at. It remains to be seen if their new signings and coach can help lift the team to produce performances that are worthy of such international status. For Al-Nassr, it all starts here.
