'Without Cristiano Ronaldo, I wouldn't be here' - New Al-Nassr coach speaks out after making shock switch from Saudi Pro League rivals

Al-Nassr officially announced the appointment of Jesus earlier on Monday evening, after weeks of speculation linking the 70-year-old with the job. Prior to his departure from Lisbon, the experienced Portuguese coach said he was moving to a country where he is "always happy." It will be Jesus' third stint in Saudi Arabia after two spells with Al-Hilal.

Jesus replaces Stefano Pioli, who recently left the club after a disappointing season which saw the club finish third in the SPL and lose to Kawasaki Frontale in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

Jesus said, of h is new job: "Without Cristiano Ronaldo, I certainly wouldn't be there.

"The motivation is high. Al Nassr needs to win titles, just like Cristiano Ronaldo, who has always won everything at the clubs he's played for. He hasn't won practically anything at this one yet, so I'll see if I can help him. We speak the same language, so it will be easy. We're Portuguese,"

Jesus had been linked with the Brazil national team job, before Carlo Ancelotti's appointment in May. The 70-year-old had come available after his firing by Al-Nassr's SPL rivals, Al-Hilal.

Jesus is used to fresh starts. Al-Nassr will be the 18th club he has managed in his 45-year managerial career. The opportunity to coach Ronaldo is clearly exciting even for such an experienced manager, but Jesus knows that such a challenge often comes with limited opportunity got failure. He will need to hit the ground running.