Ange Postecoglou has underlined his desire to win at Al-Nassr and assured his players they will have fun under him.
Postecoglou has linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi Pro League champions as he takes his first job since being sacked by Nottingham Forest last October.
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The former Tottenham boss succeeds Jorge Jesus, who has just been appointed as Portugal’s new head coach.
Ange’s ambition
Speaking to the club’s media after taking over in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, earlier this month, Postecoglou said: “I think the most important thing for me is during my whole career, I’ve enjoyed taking on new challenges, new competitions, working with different people and growing from that.
“So, it’s another opportunity for me to test myself in a new environment and new country with a new team.
“I have a lot of ambition too, so I’m glad the club has – that’s why I’m here. I’ve worked a lot through Asia and come from this part of the world [Australia]. And even when I was in Europe, I always said to people that all the success I’ve had has been harder; just because it is in Asia doesn’t mean it’s easy.
“I know how difficult it is [in] every competition, the challenges. You look at the Saudi league and how much it’s grown in the last few years and now there’s four, five, six clubs that all are very, very competitive and want to win. Champions League Elite [the Asian equivalent of the UEFA Champions League] is very, very challenging.”
And Postecoglou is determined to pick up where Jesus left off, adding: “Mr. Jesus did an outstanding job last year to win the championship and now the club is ready to go to the next level, and that’s why I’m here.
“Every year is new. I’ve had a lot of success in my career, but every new year I start with the same thought in my head: I want this year to be the best ever.”
A serial winner
The Al -Nassr job sees Postecoglou manage in a sixth different country, having previously held the reins at clubs in Australia, Greece, Japan, Scotland and England.
The 60-year-old’s track record speaks for itself: he’s won silverware in eight of his roles to date, including guiding Celtic to back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles and delivering Spurs’ first trophy in 17 years by winning the 2024/25 Europa League.
At international level, Postecoglou led Australia to their first-ever AFC Asian Cup success in 2015.
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A fun year ahead
Emphasising his will to win, he concluded: “For me, it doesn’t matter, first year, second year, third year. Every year I coach, I want to win things. But it’s not just about winning; it’s about how you win, how you play your football. That is also very important to me.
“I’m super excited to be here. It’s a privilege and an honour for me to coach such a big club, and we’ll have some fun this year. We will make an impact. We’ll try and be as successful as possible and we’ll do it in a way that everyone enjoys.”
Postecoglou takes charge of a star-studded Al-Nassr squad headed by captain Ronaldo, whose contract will take him past his 42nd birthday.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner captained Portugal to the last 16 of the ongoing 2026 World Cup, bringing the curtain down on his 20-year career on football’s grandest stage.
Ronaldo is joined by a number of other players who have swapped Europe for the Saudi Pro League in recent years, including fellow Portuguese Joao Felix and Senegal legend Sadio Mane.
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Al-Nassr well begin their title defence when the new Saudi Pro League season kicks off on August 13.
Postecoglou has the added incentive of trying to lead Al-Nassr to their first-ever Champions League Elite triumph, with their only previous final appearance coming back in 1995.
Al-Nassr are one of four Saudi clubs who have qualified for the league stage of next season’s competition, alongside two-time defending champions Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and debutants Al-Qadsiash.
