Nandez on Al Qadsiah 'family', delivering for fans, and Carlos Tevez bond

Even when hailing from Uruguay, and landing in Saudi Arabia by way of Argentina and Italy, Nahitan Nandez felt at home at Al Qadsiah almost immediately.

There was an instant connection to both the club, and to Al Khobar, in general.

"The first night in Khobar was a very special and beautiful night; it was a new experience for me and for my family,” Nandez says, reflecting on his move from Serie A’s Cagliari two summers ago. “The people welcomed me in the best possible way. 

“What I noticed from the very first moment was that the club, the affection they gave me the day I arrived, was something very special for us.” 

Embracing the project

At the time, Al Qadsiah were getting set to embark on what they hoped would be a special season back in the RSL.

Newly promoted as champions of the 2023-24 Saudi First Division League, the hugely ambitious club invested heavily for their grand return to the top flight for the first time since 2021.

Alongside Nandez, in came Real Madrid great Nacho fresh off winning both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA European Championship – the latter, of course, with Spain.

Then former Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and, among others, Belgium No.1 goalkeeper Koen Casteels.

Yet, despite the considerable revamp, Al Qadsiah took little time to gel.

“When they called me, when the club was still in the second division, they talked about the project, about the perspective that the club had overall,” Nandez tells the official Al Qadsiah media channel. 

“And, well, the truth is that from the first time that I was in contact with [sporting director] Carlos Anton, with the people of the club, with Michel - the coach - they made me notice that they wanted to do something great, with experienced people... people with many years in football. 

“A working environment has been created, both inside and outside the pitch. As we always say and repeat, a family environment has been created, because it is the reality. Al Qadsiah today is a family.

“And that was the difference that we were able to make last year, where it was noticeable from the smallest detail, that we were all for the same goal.”

A successful RSL return

That common cause catapulted Al Qadsiah to great heights. They rose to as high as third in the RSL deep into last season, ultimately finishing an impressive fourth. There was success in the King’s Cup, as well, the team reaching the final only to lose to newly crowned Saudi champions Al Ittihad.

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“Last year was a great championship, a very nice experience, and I am very happy for what we were able to compete for,” Nandez says. “We were able to leave Al Qadsiah in the best way possible, and we are proud of that too.”

There were plenty of highlights along to way, also.

“The best game? We had several good ones, but the game against Al Nassr on their pitch was a match that marked us as a group,” Nandez says. “I was just coming from the national team, and I was able to crown a great game.”  

To be fair, Nandez had many great games last term. A terrier at the team’s heart, the all-action midfielder provided the grit to Al Qadsiah’s guile, a significant reason why Michel’s side boasted the finest defence in the division. Across 34 matchweeks, they conceded only 31 goals.

Without Nandez screening the backline, that simply wouldn’t have been possible.

“Yes, I'm a fighter on the pitch," the Uruguay international says. "As I always say, I'm a very intense person on the pitch, but I live life very intensely. Everything I do, I like to do it with intensity and commitment.

“I try to bring it to the pitch and try to do things well for my teammates, for the people I have close to me, for my family. And, obviously, for the fans and the people who always come to cheer us on.” 

Carving his career

You’d imagine Nandez’s acknowledgment of the supporters has been engrained across his career to date. In Uruguay, he came through the youth ranks of Penarol, one of the most decorated and therefore followed clubs in South America, before graduating to the first team in 2014.

After three years there, he transferred to a veritable continental giant: Argentina’s Boca Juniors. Understandably given the club’s stature, it left a mark.

“I had several teammates who’ve had an influence on me; it is difficult to name just one,” Nandez says. “But with Carlitos [Carlos] Tevez, we became friends, and we have a very good relationship. He was a player who helped me a lot.”

Another Boca bond has carried now to Al Qadsiah. In the summer, the club dipped into the Italian market once more, landing the statement signing of Mateo Retegui.

Top scorer in last season’s Serie A – he struck 25 times in 36 league appearances for Atalanta – the Argentina-born Italy international was on the books at Boca during Nandez’s time there.

“Well, as I said before, the club wants to take a step further and has signed great players,” Nandez says. “I know Mateo Retegui from Boca - a great player.

“The other teammates who have come [including Yasser Al Shahrani from Al Hilal, Otavio from Al Nassr and Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach] have a lot of experience and will contribute a lot to the team.

"They’re friends in here; we have a great relationship with all the guys. I have a special relationship with Nacho that everyone already knows.”

Repaying fan support

An exceptional connection, too, with the Al Qadsiah faithful. It is for that that Nandez is intent on giving back again; even more, in fact, that in his debut campaign.

“That the people of Al Qadsiah, our people, sing my name is something very nice, very special,” he says. “Because as a player and above all as a person, being on the pitch, representing this shirt, that they support you in that way is something very special.

“And, as I always said and I repeat again, thank you and I tell you that, this year, we are all going to do great things together."

Nandez adds: "I wanted to thank all the people who supported us last year, who were with us from the beginning of the championship. For us, it was a very important thing to be able to be close to you.

“This year, we return with the same expectations, with the same dream of doing great things, of inspiring you and also that you inspire us. 

“So, it's going to be a great year for everyone. I send you a big kiss and see you soon on the pitch.”