RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS) – Jorge Jesus will leave Al Nassr after leading the club to the league title. The Portuguese coach himself announced his departure immediately after the victory over Damac on the final matchday. “When I accepted this challenge, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Semedo called me, I knew it would be the toughest challenge of my career,” the coach said. “But as I told Cris: ‘I’ll help you become champions and then I’ll go my own way.’ It has been a wonderful year, and now I want to enjoy something elsewhere.”
Jorge Jesus hinted that his future could be in Turkey. “I’ve won league titles in Portugal, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The only country where I failed was Turkey with Fenerbahçe. Maybe I have unfinished business there — it’s one of the possibilities, I’ll think about it. Can Fenerbahçe fans dream? They can. But another Turkish club also made me an offer. In Turkey there are three big clubs: Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. Out of those three, two approached me.”
In Saudi Arabia, there is speculation that Guardiola could replace him. “Proud? Why should I be? He should be proud to replace me.”
Jesus ruled out both a return to Brazil — “there I can only coach Flamengo or the national team. I had the chance to say yes to the Seleção in January 2025, but I was committed to Al Hilal. I wanted to go to the Club World Cup and win the Asian Champions League, even though in the end I didn’t succeed” — and a return to Europe. “No club has enough money to pay me. In any case, I won’t continue in Saudi Arabia. We’ll see where I start a new project.”
One thing is certain: Jorge Jesus does not see himself returning to Benfica. “It’s out of the question. Economically, it would be impossible: I earn more here in one month than I would in a year at any Portuguese club, and with far less stress. Also, even though I won many titles with Benfica, in Turkey I had an entire stadium chanting my name; the same happened in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. In Portugal I won a lot with Benfica, but that never happened.”
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
