Ronaldo's team fired the coach
Today, April 13, Al Nassr wrote on Twitter to say goodbye to coach Garcia about 40 words, with the comment: "We appreciate the efforts he has made for Al Nassr, and wish him success."
Al Nassr has not announced the coach to replace Garcia, but the media believes that coach Ivo Milic of the U19 team will take over temporarily in the next match against rival Al Hilal on the evening of April 18.
This is the fifth year in a row that a coach of Cristiano Ronaldo has been fired. Since 2019, the coaches working with Ronaldo who have been fired are Max Allegri, Maurizio Sarri, Andrea Pirlo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Fernando Santos and Garcia respectively. In which, Ronaldo has not worked with any coach for more than a year, except for Santos in the Portuguese team.
Garcia is also the sixth coach to lose his job at Al Nassr since Rui Vitoria 2020. No coach has stayed at this team for more than a year. Among the former Al Nassr coach is also Fabio Cannavaro, but he also led the team in 16 matches, a win rate of 38%.
A day ago, Arab media suggested that Ronaldo was the cause of Garcia's job loss. "Coach Garcia could not control the tension after the 0-0 draw with Al Feiha on April 9, and criticized the players, including Ronaldo," wrote Nogoom Masrya newspaper.
Al Weeam newspaper also said that Ronaldo offered to buy three superstars, after Al Nassr was held to a 0-0 draw at the 11th place Saudi League team Al Feiha on the evening of April 9, otherwise he may leave. After that match, Ronaldo also ignored Garcia and did not shake hands with the French coach, causing the relationship between the two sides to be said to be fractured.
Garcia led Al Nassr from June 29, 2022, went through 26 matches, won 18, drew five and lost three matches, win rate 69%. This season they did not start well, but by the ninth round they reached the top of the Saudi League group. On January 3, 2023, Ronaldo debuted Al Nassr on a free transfer. after round 11. Al Nassr held the top of the table until round 20, when they lost to direct rival Al Ittihad 0-1 in Jeddah.
In the remaining two arenas, Al Nassr was also eliminated by Al Ittihad himself in the semi-finals of the National Super Cup. As for the King Cup, they have reached the semi-finals and will meet Al Wehda on April 24, but that match will not take place under Garcia.
Garcia was 59 years old, helped Lille win Ligue 1 and won the French Cup in 2011. Before Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh, Garcia joked in a press conference about this rumor: "First let me bring Lionel Messi back".
