Al-Nasr SC (Dubai)
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Al-Nasr CSC (Arabic: نادي النصر الرياضي, romanized:nādī an-naṣr ar-riyāḍī, lit.'Victory Sports Club') is an Emirati professional football club based in Al Nasr, Dubai and competes in the UAE Pro League. Al-Nasr, literally translating to "victory" in Arabic, was founded in 1945 and is considered as the first and oldest club in the United Arab Emirates.
History
Pre–UAE League era (1945–1973)
Al Nasr Sports Club was founded by a group of young men in a Al Ghubaiba, Dubai in 1945, making it the oldest club in UAE footballing history. The team played in an empty playground near a highschool for three years until in 1948 were they finally decided to establish modern rules of football. In 1951, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum chose the headquarters to be in a cafe close to a fish market, the cafe had a room for rent so the club would rent the room for meetings, gatherings and studying. The club would later move their headquarters to Shindagha. During this period the club went on with the name Al Ahli until in the 1960s where the players traveled to Qatar to face Al Ahli and lose, after their loss in Qatar, the players proposed to change the name to Al Nasr which would later become official. The club decided to move their headquarters to a larger house in Shindagha and invited Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to meet the club in their new headquarters, Sheikh Zayed decided to donate 60,000 AED as a gift to the club, they would use the money to develop the club.
Rise of competition (1973–1990)
In 1973, the UAE Pro League was established and neighboring teams emerged forcing Al Nasr to start building a proper venue, so the construction of Al Maktoum Stadium began, however the team would join the league in 1974 so the club played their home games in Rashid Stadium until the completion of Al Makhtoum stadium in 1980, the club would win 3 UAE league, 3 presidents cup titles and a UAE federation cups during this time. The club would also be noted for hosting games with big clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Santos.
Modern era (1990–present)
After the end of the eighties, the club has yet to win the league but won notable cup competitions such as the president's cup, league cup and the GCC Champions League, around 2018 the team would renovate the Al Makhtoum Stadium for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and host another friendly with Arsenal in 2019. Al Nasr removed coach Caio Zanardi and replaced him with former Dinamo Zagreb player and national Croatian player Krunoslav Jurčić, but he left Al Nasr in February 2021 after mediocre results in the league, and Jurcic was replaced with former River Plate coach Ramón Díaz.
Rivalries
The team has a big rivalry with Al Wasl, often called the Bur Dubai Derby or just simply Dubai Derby, both teams have competed to see which club is the best team in Bur Dubai area. It also has a rivalry with Shabab Al Ahli which is also based in the same city but not in the same area.
Honours
Domestic competitions
- UAE Pro League Winners (3): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86 Runners-up (4): 1980–81, 1984–85, 1999–2000, 2011–12
- UAE President's Cup Winners (4): 1984–85, 1985–86, 1988–89, 2014–15 Runners-up (8): 1974–75, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2016–17, 2020–21, 2023–24
- UAE Super Cup Winners (2): 1990, 1996 Runners-up (1): 2015
- UAE Federation Cup Winners (3): 1987–88, 1999–2000, 2001–02
- UAE League Cup Winners (2): 2015, 2020
- Joint League Cup Winners (1): 1984–85
- ADNOC Championship Cup Winners (1): 1993
Regional competitions
- GCC Champions League Winners (1): 2014
- Qatar–UAE Super Cup Winners (1): 2025
Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 4 appearances
2012: Group Stage 2013: Group Stage 2016: Quarter-finals 2019: Play off Round
- Asian Club Championship: 2 appearances
1987: Group Stage 1998: Withdrew (first round)
- Asian Cup Winners Cup: 1 appearance
1993–94: Withdrew
Staff
Board of directors
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | United Arab Emirates Faisal bin Hamdan Al Maktoum |
| Vice Chairman | United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Hamdan Al Maktoum |
| Board Member | United Arab Emirates Abbas bin Hamdan Al Maktoum |
| United Arab Emirates Nayef bin Maktoum Al Maktoum | |
| United Arab Emirates Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum | |
| United Arab Emirates Osama bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | |
| United Arab Emirates Abdulrazzaq AlHashemi |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Serbia Slaviša Jokanović |
| Assistant Coach | Netherlands Bart Schreuder |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Italy Vincenzo Di Palma Esposito |
| Youth Coach | Portugal Rui Gaivoto Spain Rubén de la Red Portugal Gonçalo Pinto |
| Video Analyst | Netherlands Marvin van der Valk |
| Performance Manager | Netherlands Marco van der Steen |
| Chief Scout | Portugal Bruno Simões |
| Club Doctor | Croatia Jurica Rakic |
| Physiotherapist | United Arab Emirates Salem Al-Balooshi |
| Masseur | United Arab Emirates Hussain Al-Maazmi |
| Kitman | United Arab Emirates Abdullah Al-Ameri |
Players
Current squad
As of UAE Pro-League:
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Reserve team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. Pos. Nation Player 25 GK UAE Omar Ahmed 29 MF BRA Emanuell Silva 30 GK UAE Mohammed Al-Najjar 32 DF UAE Rashed Essa 44 FW UAE Obaid Salem | No. Pos. Nation Player 60 MF UAE Ahmed Raed 75 MF SDN Zaid Osama 77 DF UAE Ahmed Al-Balooshi 80 FW YEM Salem Al-Somhi | ||
| 25 | GK | UAE | Omar Ahmed |
| 29 | MF | BRA | Emanuell Silva |
| 30 | GK | UAE | Mohammed Al-Najjar |
| 32 | DF | UAE | Rashed Essa |
| 44 | FW | UAE | Obaid Salem |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 60 | MF | UAE | Ahmed Raed |
| 75 | MF | SDN | Zaid Osama |
| 77 | DF | UAE | Ahmed Al-Balooshi |
| 80 | FW | YEM | Salem Al-Somhi |
Unregistered players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF AUT Mateo Karamatic | No. Pos. Nation Player 43 MF GHA Bernard Mensah | ||
| 5 | DF | AUT | Mateo Karamatic |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 43 | MF | GHA | Bernard Mensah |
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF UAE Abdulla Idrees (on loan to Al-Dhafra) 53 GK UAE Adli Mohamed (on loan to Emirates) | No. Pos. Nation Player 94 FW UAE Juninho (on loan to Al-Bataeh) 99 GK SRB Stefan Pjanovic (on loan to Al-Ittifaq) | ||
| 21 | DF | UAE | Abdulla Idrees (on loan to Al-Dhafra) |
| 53 | GK | UAE | Adli Mohamed (on loan to Emirates) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 94 | FW | UAE | Juninho (on loan to Al-Bataeh) |
| 99 | GK | SRB | Stefan Pjanovic (on loan to Al-Ittifaq) |
Notable players
Argentina
Australia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
- Brazil Careca
- Brazil Renato
- Brazil Valder
- Brazil Élton
- Brazil Léo Lima
- Brazil Renan Garcia
- Brazil Wanderley
- Brazil Nilmar
- Brazil Marcelo Cirino
- Brazil Iury
- Brazil Junior Dutra
- Brazil Gabriel Valentini
- Brazil Marquinhos Gabriel
- Brazil Gláuber
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Bulgaria
Cape Verde
Chile
Côte d'Ivoire
Curaçao
DR Congo
Ecuador
France
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Iran
- Iran Khodadad Azizi
- Iran Karim Bagheri
- Iran Arash Borhani
- Iran Reza Enayati
- Iran Ebrahim Ghasempour
- Iran Sattar Hamedani
- Iran Mehrzad Madanchi
- Iran Farhad Majidi
- Iran Iman Mobali
- Iran Mohammad Nosrati
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Japan
Lebanon
Morocco
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Panama
Portugal
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Spain
Tanzania
Togo
United Arab Emirates
- United Arab Emirates Abdulrahman Mohamed
- United Arab Emirates Abdulaziz Mohamed
- United Arab Emirates Ahmed Shambih
- United Arab Emirates Amer Mubarak
- United Arab Emirates Habib Al Fardan
- United Arab Emirates Hamdan Al-Kamali
- United Arab Emirates Hassan Mubarak
- United Arab Emirates Jassem Yaqoub
- United Arab Emirates Khalid Ismaïl
- United Arab Emirates Khalifa Mubarak
- United Arab Emirates Mohammad Khamis
- United Arab Emirates Mohamed Omar
- United Arab Emirates Salem Saad
- United Arab Emirates Tareq Ahmed
Past managers
- England Don Revie (1980–84)
- Brazil Sebastião Lapola (1983–89)
- Germany Reiner Hollmann (1999–00)
- Brazil Sebastião Lapola (2000–01)
- France René Exbrayat (2003–04)
- Brazil Sebastião Lapola (2004)
- Germany Hagen Reeck (2004)
- Germany Frank Pagelsdorf (Sept 1, 2004–June 30, 2005)
- Brazil Vágner Mancini (2005)
- Germany Eduard Geyer (Jan 1, 2005–Jan 20, 2006)
- Germany Reiner Hollmann (April 3, 2006–Feb 25, 2007)
- Brazil Vágner Mancini (May 1, 2007–Dec 1, 2007)
- Croatia Luka Bonačić (Jan 17, 2008–Jan 7, 2009)
- Germany Frank Pagelsdorf (Jan 8, 2009–Feb 7, 2010)
- France Laurent Banide (Feb 24, 2010–May 31, 2010)
- Brazil Hélio dos Anjos (June 01, 2010–Oct 10, 2010)
- United Arab Emirates Eid Baroot (Oct 13, 2010–Dez 31, 2010)
- Italy Walter Zenga (Jan 1, 2011–June 13, 2013)
- Serbia Ivan Jovanović (June 18, 2013 – October 29, 2016)
- Romania Dan Petrescu (October 29, 2016 – May 26, 2017)
- Italy Cesare Prandelli (May 26, 2017 – January 19, 2018)
- Serbia Ivan Jovanović (January 19, 2018 – December 2, 2018)
- Brazil Caio Zanardi (December 2, 2018 – January 2, 2019)
- Spain Beñat San José (January 2, 2019 – May 30, 2019)
- Brazil Caio Zanardi (April 1, 2019 – October 14, 2019)
- Croatia Krunoslav Jurčić (October 14, 2019 – February 4, 2021)
- Argentina Ramón Díaz (February 4, 2021 – February 7, 2022)
- United Arab Emirates Salem Rabie (February 8, 2022 – May 19, 2022)
- Germany Thorsten Fink (May 19, 2022 – November 5, 2022)
- Croatia Goran Tomić (November 5, 2022 – June 5, 2023)
- Serbia Goran Tufegdžić (June 5, 2023 – November 6, 2023)
- Italy Fabrizio Cammarata (November 7, 2023 – November 27, 2023)
- Netherlands Alfred Schreuder (November 27, 2023 – May 24, 2025)
- Serbia Slaviša Jokanović (June 8, 2025 – present)
Pro-League record
| Season | Lvl. | Tms. | Pos. | President's Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 1 | 12 | 6th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 12 | 10th | Quarter-finals | First Round |
| 2010–11 | 1 | 12 | 3rd | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2011–12 | 1 | 12 | 2nd | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2012–13 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2013–14 | 1 | 14 | 5th | Semi-finals | First Round |
| 2014–15 | 1 | 14 | 5th | Champions | Champions |
| 2015–16 | 1 | 14 | 4th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2016–17 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Runner-ups | First Round |
| 2017–18 | 1 | 12 | 4th | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals |
| 2018–19 | 1 | 14 | 8th | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals |
| 2019–20a | 1 | 14 | 6th | Round of 16 | Champions |
| 2020–21 | 1 | 14 | 5th | Runner-ups | Runner-ups |
| 2021–22 | 1 | 14 | 8th | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals |
| 2022–23 | 1 | 14 | 9th | Round of 16 | Semi-Finals |
| 2023–24 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Runner-ups | Quarter-Finals |
Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
- Pos. = Position
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Lvl. = League
Other sports
Al-Nasr also fields teams in futsal, volleyball, handball, basketball, table tennis, swimming, cycling, athletics, karate, and jujutsu.