Al-Nassr Famous Players
Cristiano Ronaldo might have just lit up sporting headlines around the world after confirmation of his money spinning deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr but he’s not the only well known player to represent the club. Here we look at a string of Al-Nassr famous players both past and present. We’ll touch on European Championship winners, World Cup winners, Champions League winners and even a Ballon d’Or winner!
Vincent Aboubakar
We kick off our names with Vincent Aboubakar. He’s a current player for Al-Nassr and whilst some fans would know him from his time playing in Europe, where he most famously represented Porto, he also reminded everyone of his existence at the recent World Cup in Qatar. He bagged two goals including a winner against Brazil.
Nordin Amrabat
Here we’ve got another player with World Cup experience in the shape of Nordin Amrabat. Amrabat will be well known to Watford fans whilst he’s also represented the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray in Europe. That gives him both Premier League and Champions League pedigree. He left Al-Nassr last year and now plays his football in Greece for AEK Athens.
Alvaro Gonzalez
Alvaro Gonzalez is a recent addition to Al-Nassr’s squad having joined the club in 2022. Like the others mentioned to the point, the defender has vast experience in the European game having racked up a fair few appearances in La Liga and Ligue 1. The former Marseille and Villarreal man was part of Spain’s under 21 side that won the Euros in 2013 albeit he has never won a senior cap.
Anderson Talisca
This Brazilian playmaker, who is Al-Nassr’s top scorer so far this season, might not be a household name as such but he’s certainly got a history of impressing in Europe. Talisca is best known for stints at Benfica and Besiktas and boasts a record of scoring eight goals in 22 Champions League appearances.
Ali Boussaboun
Ali Boussaboun isn’t going to be a particularly well known name for the vast majority. Followers of the Eredivisie, however, will be well aware of the now retired Morocco man. He made hundreds of appearances in Dutch football. The majority came with ADO Den Hag. He also made appearances in the Europa League.
Bruno Uvini
Here we have another player with Eredivise and Europa League experience – albeit not as extensively. To be honest, we nearly didn’t include the Brazilian in our list of Al-Nassr famous players, however, given he spent time on the books with Tottenham and Napoli during his career, we thought he should get a mention. He made next to no impact with either club.
Angelos Charisteas
Greek international striker Angelos Charisteas, who ended his career with Al-Nassr in 2013 headed to Saudi Arabia with a vast experience of elite football under his belt. He made over 100 appearances in the Bundesliga, played in Ligue 1, the Eredivisie and both European competitions – the Champions League and Europa League. Charisteas was also part of the Greece team that won the European Championships in 2004 notably scoring the only goal in the final.
Denilson
We move from a European Championship winner to a World Cup winner. Denilson made 61 appearances for Brazil including being part of the 2002 squad that triumphed in Japan & Korea. At club level, Denilson is best known for his seven year spell at Real Betis.
Ramiro Funes Mori
Ramiro Funes Mori will be a name known to quote a few fans. The Argentinian defender made over 60 appearances for Everton before moving on to Villarreal in Spain where he made north of another half century of appearances including in the Europa League. The former River Plate man left Al-Nassr in 2022 and now plays for Cruz Azul in Liga MX.
Hossam Ghaly
We’ve got another player with Premier League pedigree up next. Step up Hossam Ghaly. Ghaly represented Tottenham and Derby in England between 2006 and 2009 before trading White Hart Lane for Al-Nassr.
Brad Jones
Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones spent 20 years of his career in Europe with the vast majority in England. He donned the colours of several clubs in that time most notably Middlesbrough and Liverpool before a move to Holland. Jones then spent three years with Al-Nassr before a return to his homeland where he plays for Perth Glory.
Luiz Gustavo
Ronaldo might come to Al-Nassr with huge pedigree but he won’t be the first player to have won Champions League to don their colours. Brazilian international Luiz Gustavo has also collected club football’s top prize. That came during his Bayern Munich days. In addition to his time at Bayern, Gustavo also represented Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg, Marseille and Fenerbahce. He joined Al-Nassr in July 2022.
Modibo Maïga
Modibo Maïga can’t compete with things like Champions League titles but his name will ring bells with some big fan bases – namely West Ham. In addition to a stint with the Hammers, Maiga also played best on 200 games in France representing Sochaux, Metz and Le Mans.
Ahmed Musa
Like Maiga, Musa doesn’t boast a career glittered with top honours but a spell in England with Leicester will ring a bell with a lot of football fans. It’s also worth noting that he had racked up a fair bit of Champions League experience before joining Al-Nassr having played for CSKA Moscow. 107 Nigerian caps – including an AFCON title – aren’t to be sniffed at either.
David Ospina
Next up in our look at Al-Nassr famous players we turn to their current keeper, David Ospina. The Colombian international had a solid career in Europe representing Nice, Arsenal and Napoli. The two time FA Cup winner joined Al-Nassr in July after leaving Napoli at the end of his contract.
Moussa Saïb
Moussa Saïb is another non-elite name but with a decent footprint in Europe. He joined Al-Nassr in 2000 joining them after a season at Tottenham. Prior to signing for Spurs Saib had played extensively in La Liga, Ligue 1 and made a handful of appearances in the Champions League.
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov is probably the biggest name to feature in this list. Stoichkov is one of the best strikers of all time and joined Al-Nassr the same year he left Barcelona. The Bulgarian won countless honours in his career including the European Cup and, on a personal level, the Ballon d’Or meaning Ronaldo won’t even be the first Ballon d’Or winner to represent Al-Nassr.
There you have it, a rundown of Al-Nassr famous players.