Leonardo Jardim to leave Shabab Al Ahli after leading club to Adnoc Pro League title

Portuguese understood to have agreed two-year contract with Al Rayyan in Qatar

Leonardo Jardim departs Shabab Al Ahli having guided the club to a first Adnoc Pro League title. AFP

Leonardo Jardim, Shabab Al Ahli’s title-winning manager, is to leave the newly crowned UAE champions to take charge of Qatar’s Al Rayyan.

The Portuguese, appointed last summer on a one-year contract, guided the Dubai side last week to a first top-flight title in seven seasons. Shabab Al Ahli won the Adnoc Pro League with one round to spare, eventually finishing three points ahead of former champions Al Ain.

However, Jardim is understood to have accepted an offer of a two-year contract with Al Rayyan, the eight-time Qatar Stars League champions.

The former Monaco manager, 48, has become a familiar face in Gulf football during the past two years. In 2021, he moved to the Middle East and led Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal to the Asian Champions League trophy only months after being taking the job.

Yet Jardim left the club by mutual consent three months later because of Hilal’s poor league form. The Riyadh side did, though, go on to win the 2021/22 title with Ramon Diaz as manager.

Jardim, whose chief success came in taking Monaco to the 2016/17 Ligue 1 crown, joined Shabab Al Ahli last June and masterminded the Rashid Stadium side’s first league title since the club’s 2017 merger.

Al Rayyan are currently eighth in the Qatar Stars League with two rounds remaining. They last won their domestic championship in 2016.