Jorge Jesus style: Al-Nassr sign Al-Hilal's former coach

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Riyadh's two giants compete for everything

Al-Nassr have decided to sign a former coach of Al-Hilal for next season, in the same manner as their former Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.

Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" report that Al-Nassr have decided to bring in Brazilian coach Marcos Soares to lead the Under-21 team next season in the Joy Elite League.

Backing Soares up will be his compatriot Fernando Junior as goalkeeping coach, Portugal's Miguel Arias as first assistant, and Badr Aba Al-Hussein as second assistant.

Soares first got to know Saudi football through Al-Hilal back in 2021, when he took charge of the Under-17 team. He then moved on to coach the Saudi Under-19 national team in 2023, and the Under-20 side in 2024.

His greatest achievement came with the Saudi national team, winning the West Asia Under-17 Youth Championship and qualifying for the Under-20 World Cup finals in Chile in 2025.

Now Soares has a rebuild on his hands. Al-Nassr's Under-21 team crashed out of the previous Joy Elite League at the quarter-final stage, beaten by Al-Fateh over two legs.

The last coach to lead Al-Nassr after working with their traditional neighbours and rivals Al-Hilal was Jorge Jesus. The Portuguese won the Roshn League title with them last season, having already claimed it with "the Boss" in 2023-2024.