sport news Cristiano Ronaldo 'split with Jorge Mendes over Piers Morgan interview' trends now
Cristiano Ronaldo 'split with his long-serving agent Jorge Mendes after a disagreement over his bombshell Piers Morgan interview' - which led to his Manchester United exit.
The 37-year-old Portugal forward was officially unveiled as an Al Nassr player on Tuesday following his arrival in Saudi Arabia, after he agreed a £175million-a-year contract.
It follows a tumultuous few weeks in which Ronaldo accused United of 'betraying' him and took aim at manager Erik ten Hag, who'd dropped him earlier in the season, in the TalkTV interview.
Cristiano Ronaldo's long-standing relationship with agent Jorge Mendes 'came to an end over a disagreement over his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan'
Ronaldo and Mendes reportedly fell out over the interview, with the agent not involved in finalising his £175million-a-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr
Ronaldo left Manchester United after accusing the club of 'betraying' him in his interview with Piers Morgan in November
According to Portuguese news outlet Publico, Mendes objected to Ronaldo giving the interview and knew afterwards that any hopes of finding the star another top club in Europe had vanished.
The two decade-long relationship between Ronaldo and Mendes had been deteriorating for some time and his personal manager Ricky Regufe negotiated his transfer to Al Nassr.
Publico say that Ronaldo expected offers to roll in from elite European clubs if he performed at the World Cup in Qatar, regardless of the acrimonious nature of his Old Trafford exit.
Mendes thought differently, knowing only Al Nassr could match Ronaldo's salary demands. Indeed, he's already got the ball rolling by sounding out the Saudi club's interest.
Ronaldo (right) has been represented by Mendes (left) since he joined Man United in 2003 during his first spell at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson (centre) was at the helm of the club
Ronaldo's Portugal team-mates reportedly grew uneasy about the presence of his personal manager Ricky Regufe (middle) during the Qatar World Cup
Regufe - second left - has been a close associate of the legendary forward since 2018
Regufe started off as a marketing chief for Nike before forging a friendship with Ronaldo
When Ronaldo flopped at the World Cup - he was dropped by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the knockout rounds - this theory was confirmed.
Publico say Ronaldo's behaviour was a 'constant source of irritation' for the Portugal team during the tournament, with his team-mates and the federation 'hushing up almost everything.'
At this point, Refuge - who was embedded in the
