Al Nassr FC
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| Full name | Al Nassr Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "The International" “Najd’s Night” | |||
| Founded | 24 October 1955[1] | |||
| Ground | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh | |||
| Capacity | 68,752[2] | |||
| Chairman | Safwan Al-Suwaiket | |||
| Manager | Rui Vitória | |||
| League | Pro League | |||
| 2018–19 | Pro League, 1st | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Al-Nassr Football Club (Arabic: نادي النصر السعودي; Naṣr meaning 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 44 national top-flight trophies as well as various regional and friendly championships.[3]
The club has won 17 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,[3] 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 an international level, as well as becoming the first team in the world to win such an award.[4] This in turn gave the club its famous nickname, "The International ."[5]
History
Beginnings and triumphs (1955–1989)
Al-Nassr was established in 1955 by an unknown person. 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 Premier League titles, six King's Cups, three Crown Prince Cups and three Federation Cup. The team's success was built around the "Saudi Golden Trio" of Majed Abdullah, Fahd Al-Herafy and Mohaisn Al-Jam'aan.
90s era (1989–2002)
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 (2003–2007)
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 city rivals Al-Hilal on both league and Crown Prince cups. The team subsequently qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League following the astonishing accomplishment.
In the 2014–15 season, Al-Nassr continued defending the title as holding champion, by winning the league, and reaching the King's Cup final, as well as qualifying for the Crown Prince's semi-final. The identity of a returning champion still persists within club halls.
Name, Logo and Colors
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 Arabia with yellow and blue colors. Yellow for the gorgeous sand of the Arabian deserts, and blue for the magnificent water in the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. 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 represents the football team while the old logo represents the club as a whole.
Sponsorship
Since the start of the 2013/2014 season, Al-Nassr 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 5 years.[6][7]
Kit providers
- 2007–10: Lotto
- 2010–12: Nike
- 2012–17: Al-Nassr FC Official Merchandise Store
- 2017–2018: New Balance
- 2018– Sporta
Current squad
As of 28 September 2019:[8][9]
Other players under contract
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