Cristiano Ronaldo loses key teammate as Al Nassr coach Jesus confirms Champions League winner’s exit
Al Nassr are undergoing a rebuilding phase with the arrival of new coach Jorge Jesus, which will involve the departure of key players and the addition of top-tier talent such as Joao Felix. While working to improve the team’s performance around Cristiano Ronaldo, the coach confirmed one of the most significant departures of the summer: a UEFA Champions League winner.
After Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Toulouse in Austria, Jorge Jesus spoke about the roster moves Al Nassr are making ahead of the 2025–26 season and confirmed the exit of a defender: “Laporte is going to leave and a center-back will come in,” explained the coach in an interview shared by Marca.
This confirms weeks of speculation regarding Aymeric Laporte’s future. The Spanish star, despite playing a key role last season, started the new campaign on the sidelines—so much so that he was left out of the preseason squad that traveled to Europe.
Jorge Jesus’ comments effectively mark the end of Laporte’s two-year stint at Al Nassr. He arrived in the summer of 2023 as one of the Saudi Pro League’s marquee signings, having just won the Champions League with Manchester City weeks earlier. With 69 appearances and 9 goals since then, the defender is expected to return to Europe, with rumors linking him to a move back to Athletic Bilbao.
Jesus also confirmed the departure of another Al Nassr player
In the same conversation, the coach reflected on the needs the squad must address, based on the players who will no longer be with Al Nassr next season. “(Jhon) Duran left and Joao (Felix) came in,” Jorge Jesus began. “Otavio is going to leave and a player will come in to replace him.”
Otavio, like Laporte, was left out of the preseason squad. Now, the coach has confirmed the end of his tenure at the club. However, he refrained from revealing the next destination of the Portuguese creative midfielder, who made 40 appearances and scored one goal last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains a force
While the futures of some players remain undecided and others are being brought in, Al Nassr’s preseason in Europe continues. On Wednesday, they played their second friendly match, defeating Toulouse 2-1, with a first-half goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The French side took the early lead through Yann Gboho, but CR7 responded minutes later, finishing off a cross from Wesley. After halftime, with the Portuguese forward off the pitch, Al Nassr completed the comeback with a goal from Mohammed Maran. The highlight of the match was the debut of Joao Felix, who spent 59 minutes on the field.