ANKARA

Saudi football club Al Shabab hired former Czech Republic and Juventus star Pavel Nedved as their new sporting director Wednesday.

"Czech legend Pavel Nedved appointed Sporting Director of Al Shabab," the club said on X to welcome the 52-year-old.

One of the important players of his generation, Nedved left Sparta Prague in 1996 to play for Italian clubs Lazio and Juventus, respectively.

He was a Juventus midfielder from 2001-2009 until his retirement from the game.

The ex-Czech Republic star amassed 327 appearances to tally 65 goals and 81 assists for Juventus, where he won back-to-back Italian Serie A titles in 2002 and 2003.

Before his Juventus days, Nedved helped Lazio win the Italian league title in 2000.

As an individual, Nedved won the 2003 Ballon d'Or award.

After he hung up his boots in 2009, Nedved joined Juventus' Board of Directors in 2010 and then became vice president of the club from 2015-2022.

On Dec. 27, Al Shabab appointed Türkiye's Fatih Terim as their head coach. One of the famous football head coaches in Europe, Terim guided Galatasaray to win Europe's second-tier trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 2000 after beating English giants Arsenal on penalties.

He is considered one of the most respected coaches in Turkish football history, winning eight Super Lig titles with Galatasaray.

Former Fiorentina and AC Milan boss, Terim has also managed the Turkish national football team, leading them to the UEFA EURO 2008 semifinals in Austria and
Switzerland.