Cristiano Ronaldo went through a “divorce” with agent Jorge Mendes, according to a report by L’Equipe. In an 8-page feature, the French outlet talked about the split between the Portuguese and his agent. The outlet has put forward some compelling revelations through its sources.
Apparently, it all started after Ronaldo’s son died tragically at birth in April 2022. According to anonymous sources, Ronaldo was, understandably, broken and crushed following this. “From there, something broke, explains a friend of both Ronaldo and Mendes. He became unfiltered. When the head coach pisses him off, he tells him to piss off. Same thing with Mendes.”
🚨 After 20 years in partnership, Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes no longer work together. ❌
Cristiano’s explosive Piers Morgan interview was a turning point and signalled the end of their relationship.
(Source: Publico) pic.twitter.com/YLD5JMKVqV
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 4, 2023
The 38-year-old was reportedly angry by Manchester United‘s alleged lack of support for him and his family during the tragedy. Ronaldo asked Mendes to find a way out for him after this. The agent tried to look for a club for Ronaldo in the summer of 2022.
However, it was Al-Nassr who was showing interest, but neither Ronaldo nor Mendes were convinced by it. “He aimed higher than that”, said another agent. “He thought he was able to attract the big clubs.“
Mendes made the mistake of not being able to find a way out of Manchester for Ronaldo. Following this, the two were then poles apart. A friend of Mendes talked about the interview Ronaldo gave to Piers Morgan. He said, “from Mendes’ point of view, the interview was a huge f***-**”.
Another friend talked about how Mendes felt about ending his working relationship with Ronaldo. “It’s like a divorce for him. It’s like his wife were to dump him, and he even knows her lover.”
Mendes, who was Ronaldo’s agent for the entirety of his career, apparently reached out to Bayern Munich and Chelsea among other clubs. However, those clubs apparently rejected the Portuguese.
Jorge Mendes was not involved in Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Al-Nassr
After Ronaldo signed the bumper contract worth over $200 million with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, it was understood that Mendes had played no role in that deal. After the chaos created by Ronaldo’s interview, Mendes disassociated from him.
Ricardo Regufe was the man who negotiated the contract along with Ronaldo. Regufe, a former Nike employee, met Ronaldo in the 2000s, according to The Athletic. Regufe’s tasks involved streamlining the Portuguese’s commercial career.
#NewProfilePic Ricardo Regufe, the “personal manager” who bodied Jorge Mendes, convinced Ronaldo to sign for Al Nassr, and pocket himself a cool €30 million. The master! pic.twitter.com/IO4WfgLuWp
— —Z— (@Z_SportingCP) January 3, 2023
The two eventually became good friends over the past two decades. In 2018, Regufe became Ronaldo’s personal manager. Mendes, however, was still acting as his traditional agent. Regufe is not classed as an agent despite his involvement in the Al-Nassr transfer.
