His scandalous interview not only resulted in a break with Manchester United…
Cristiano Ronaldo (37) and his longtime advisor Jorge Mendes (56) no longer work together. The Portuguese and Spanish media report unanimously.
What a scene! Ronaldo’s dream goal right in the first training session
The separation is said to have come at the end of November, shortly following Ronaldo had conducted the interview with CNN presenter Pierce Morgan (57), which ultimately sealed his departure from the “Red Devils”.
According to the Portuguese newspaper Record, the agent continued to “refuse to be a yes man. Mendes had the guts to say things to Ronaldo that no one else has said to him.”
Mendes is said to have been strictly once morest Ronaldo’s interview with Morgan, in which the superstar publicly and sharply scored with United and coach Erik ten Hag (52).
Mendes also assessed the situation on the transfer market differently than Ronaldo himself, who believed that the top clubs still wanted him. A mistake.
The 2016 European champion has now landed at Saudi club Al-Nassr. Although Mendes had made the first contacts there, the name of the consultant who pocketed the EUR 30 million commission for the Portuguese transfer to Saudi Arabia is Ricardo Regufe. Ronaldo met him in 2013 when he was playing for Real Madrid. Regufe, then Marketing Manager at Nike, brought CR7 a deal worth over €16m a year.
Regufe was also surprisingly part of the Portuguese delegation as Ronaldo’s personal assistant at the World Cup in Qatar, which is said to have caused trouble for some in the team.
CR7 had worked closely with ex-adviser Mendes since the beginning of his professional career. A real friendship developed over the years, privately both have a lot in common. Ronaldo was Mendes’ best man at his wedding, for which he is said to have even given him a Greek island. Conversely, Mendes is the godfather of Ronaldo’s son Cristiano Jr.