Saudi football is going through a phase of increased brilliance. After the national team surprised at the World Cup by being the only team capable of beating now World Cup champions Argentina, Al-Nassr saw their name in the spotlight due to the possibility of being Cristiano Ronaldo's next club.
A deal for the 37-year-old Portuguese forward, free leaving Manchester United, is imminent and Flashscore went to speak to the face leading Al-Nassr's sporting project. Born in Recife 44 years ago, Marcelo Salazar has strong ties to Portugal and tried to demystify some myths about Arab football and talk about the club that currently leads the championship of that country.
First of all, please help us understand how a former futsal player becomes a sporting director of one of the biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia. It was a radical career change.
"During my futsal career I took courses in sports management, I have a degree in physical education in Brazil. I always prepared myself for what was going to happen when I had to draw the line as an athlete. When I stopped playing I decided to go into football, take my courses, I'm a licensed coach. I started as a physical trainer and came to Saudi Arabia in 2018, already as Pericles Chamusca's assistant. Then Al-Nassr's invitation came along with Mano Menezes, but things didn't go well and we went through a complicated period, with various coaches. Last year, in January 2022, Miguel Angel Russo arrived and the president decided to make changes to the structure as well, accepting a tip from Pedro Emanuel (outgoing Portuguese coach). When he left he told me that I helped him a lot on the pitch, but that I could help the club even more off it. I speak five languages, I have a very good knowledge of the championship and I speak the coaches' language, I have the knowledge. The president decided to accept the opinion. Basically, it ended up as a sporting director thanks to Pedro Emanuel."
And what are Marcelo Salazar's ideas for Al-Nassr?
"The big goal is to be champions again. The last championship we won was in 2018/19. Since then, it was Al-Hilal, our biggest rival, who won all three editions. We also went through a period of instability after Rui Vitoria left (2020/21). We had many coaches, Alan Horvat, Mano Menezes, Pedro Emanuel, Miguel Angel Russo, I was also on the bench in six games (managed four wins). Now we managed to bring in Rudi Garcia, a coach of great calibre who would give us the conditions to become champions again and win all the competitions we entered. That is our great ambition."
And does Cristiano Ronaldo appear in those ideas?
"I'm not allowed to say yes or no (laughs). Let's wait and see how things unfold until the end of the year. As you must realise this is a negotiation that has a huge magnitude, not only for the club, but for the country and for world football, and it has to be conducted by higher authorities. What I can say is that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best in the history of football. He has always been an example to me as an athlete, for the will he shows to win. And then, as a Portuguese citizen, I always cheered for him. But when the time is right the future will be revealed."
It is a transfer the whole world is talking about and that has generated different reactions. Carlo Ancelotti, for example, said that it was not the ideal championship for Ronaldo, alleging little competitiveness. How do you look at this criticism?"Criticising what you ignore is very easy. I've been here for five years now and all the players I've spoken to are very positively surprised when they arrive here, especially by the level of the league. It happened with Luiz Gustavo, who is a Brazilian international and won the Champions League with Bayern. It's normal for those who don't know them. When David Ospina moved here they said in Columbia that it was the wrong move, but Saudi Arabia has changed a lot. Even living in Riyadh with the families has been a pleasant surprise for the players, with the schools and everything we have here. Add to that a high level of sportsmanship."
Something that was clearly evident at this World Cup, with Saudi Arabia the only team capable of beating Argentina.
"Since Turki Al-Sheikh's arrival as sports minister in 2017, there has been a big change. First was straight away the possibility of having seven foreigners, which made the level the league increase immediately. It is the strongest league on the Asian continent right now. Proof of that is that we regularly have teams in the semi-finals and finals of the Asian Champions League. You only have to look at the example of this season, when Al-Faisaly went down from the division but are in the last 16 of the Champions League. And so the national team has also grown, just look at the difference in performance from 2018 and 2022. They didn't go through, it's true, but they beat Argentina with Messi, there was no such excuse that he wasn't there, then played a good game with Poland and with Mexico, it was more open."
And what does Marcelo Salazar's future hold? Is your goal to return to the pitch?
"That's a good question. I didn't want to renew for more than a year. I had invitations to become a coach, but I chose to stay at Al-Nassr because I wanted to give myself this time to get to know the job better and I didn't want to leave here without being champion. This year I am sure it will be a winning season. I'm doing well, I'm learning more every day and I'll leave the decision for the summer of 2023, depending, of course, on the possibilities that arise."
