Luis Castro (Vila Real, Portugal, 1961) was experiencing one of the sweetest moments of his long coaching career.in a Al Nasr The Portuguese is in fine form and leads the team where he has scored goals Cristiano Ronaldo. His compatriot reached a high level again and his joy was shared by his coach.
Q: Is this what the Saudis expected? This is his second trip to the Middle East after Qatar.
answer: They are two very close countries, yet different. In Saudi Arabia, everyone is very, very passionate about football. People are very excited because a lot of great players have arrived, or when Cristiano Ronaldo chose to come to Saudi Arabia. We are talking about the player who has the largest number of followers on social networks, so every step of Cristiano’s life is watched by millions of people and the media. The league has a high profile. There are good players, good fans, and good coaches in the stands. Additionally, the media was very attentive and interested.
In Saudi Arabia, people are very, very passionate about football.everyone shares it
Luis Castro directs Al Nasr’s training sessions.
Q: You left a great project in Botafogo to come to Al Nasr…
A: I was at a historic club, a world-famous club, with great fans, players from Brazil, and we had a great title there: we were many points ahead of the second place. This team is ready to become champions. At that moment I felt like things were done in Brazil, the building was solid and the team was ready to move on without me. Why not look for another challenge? Another team building challenge or another challenge to meet new players and mix them with local players… like what happened at Shakhtar with the Ukrainians and Brazilians. There is also the idea of working with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Should I leave Botafogo?At that moment I felt that in Brazil things were done, the building was solid and I was ready for the team to move on without me
Q: It’s arriving and it’s successful. Won the Arab Champions Cup.
A: Yeah, coming to the city where you’re going to work with a trophy under your arm… it’s awesome. This is a huge challenge. Has very ambitious goals. We want to win a lot of things, we want to build a lot of things.
Luís Castro at the Al Nassr game.
Q: Saudi Arabia very clearly wants to have one of the best leagues in the world. And he also invested a lot of money…
A: That’s how it is in football. Naturally, it shares the same ambitions to be great as the best leagues in the world. It’s a very simple equation and it doesn’t surprise me to say that Saudi Arabia wants to be great. They are signing big contracts with players, coaches… but investing in becoming the best player is a natural process, just like in all walks of life. If you want to have better health, you invest in medical care; if you want to have better education, you invest in education; if you want to have better technology, you invest in technology; if you want to have better technology, you invest in technology; if you want to have better education, you invest in education. Housing, you invest in the social housing network… So funding is crucial to develop human resources, to develop all sectors of society. Well, the same goes for football.
Q: What do you think when people say a football player should not be in the national team just because he plays in Saudi Arabia?
A: Well, one very good thing that’s happening is that players are getting into the national team and doing well. Cristiano Ronaldo, Otávio, Laporte, Brozovic… If they stay connected with the team and perform at a high level, it’s because they maintained that in the championship. This is a very good fact that validates Saudi Arabian football.
Q: What do you think of Laporte?
A: He’s a great player. With and without the ball. It has personality. Reading space, sizing up opponents…he has incredible vision. He is a boy who is always willing to work. He is very professional on both a sports and humanistic level. I have nothing but good things to say about him.
Laporte is a great player. With and without the ball. It has personality. Read the space, measure the competition…
Luis Castro and his staff sat on Al Nasr’s bench.
Q: I have to ask you about the Saudi football players. The Saudi Professional League hopes to improve the level of the team through the development of the league. What do you think of local football players?
A: A very competitive type of player. This is a new challenge for them. It’s a challenge because every team shares a dressing room with good players. In our case, Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Talisca, Telles, Fofana, Otavio… To compete, they have to raise their level. It’s a challenge for those who have been, they have to grow to reach the same level as everyone else. Now…their pace of life is different. We can’t arrive and suddenly want them to adapt to us, we have to adapt to them. It has to be mixed and we have to be very attentive to the culture of the people of Saudi Arabia. Things have to adjust so that they feel balanced and ready to respond. I think the way you should go is to approach them and adapt to them. I know one thing: respect culture, respect everyone, respect humanity… because it is yours from the moment you are born, live and live. I also try to share some of my culture and some of my life. If it’s necessary to change our path a little, that’s done.
Q: What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s daily life like?
A: It is the world’s greatest example of success in rigor, work and discipline. Let me give you an example. Do you think he needs me to ask? No, there is no need to ask Cristiano, he has already done it himself. He gave us rigor, discipline, the highest demands, and always wanted to win and shine in front of the world. We want to win championships. If we play two games and win two; if we play three and win three… it will never make any difference to him.
Cristiano is the world’s greatest example of success in rigor, work and discipline
Luis Castro and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate the Arab Champions Cup.
Q: The reality is, Cristiano Ronaldo is going through one of his best moments right now physically and on a scoring level.
A: There are four dimensions of performance: tactical, technical, physical and mental. The most important thing for me is the psychological aspect. spiritual. A player may be technically good, physically he may be good… but if he is not mentally good, he will not be happy, he will not find the spaces, he will not see the game, he may not see the presence in it The world is a football field. So… Cristiano is going through a very happy moment, he feels like he’s going through a great moment in his career and he feels like he’s enjoying it. I’m going to say a few words for him unnecessarily, but I apologize in advance. Cristiano knows he is in the final moments of his career, so there is nothing better than enjoying it. There’s nothing better than happiness… because those last thoughts in the final moments of a game tend to stay with you until the end of your life. Well, there will always be Ballon d’Or, being the best player in the world, top scorer in the Champions League, European Cup… all of this will always be with him, but at the end they still exist in a special way Way. Being a player’s coach gave me a lot, and even though he was old, he loved football, he loved training, he loved his teammates… He was a role model for his teammates.
Cristiano is experiencing a very happy moment and he feels that he is enjoying
Q: There is a lot of discussion about Cristiano’s goals: do you think he can make it to the 2026 World Cup?
A: Cristiano is a man of faith and goals. Anything can happen. As I said, I was happy to see him. Dedicated to his work. What struck me was that he knew all the paths: the path to the stadium, the path to training, the path to the pitch, the path to goals, the path to happiness…