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In late 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo became the protagonist of two bombshells that shook the world of football. The first was his signing with Al Nassr from Saudi Arabia for 200 million euros. The second had to do with the end of his working relationship with Jorge Mendes, the Portuguese agent who had accompanied him since the beginning of his career. After a series of disagreements since returning to Manchester United, the Portuguese forward decided to change representatives, a situation that Mendes has referred to for the first time in front of the media.
After being awarded by the National Sports Press Club of Portugal, the manager of other great players like Ansu Fati, Rafael Leao, Joao Félix, among others, did not specify the reason why he broke up with 'CR7'. However, he did not hesitate to praise the Al Nassr forward and described him as the greatest in history.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is where he is, that's life. He is in Saudi Arabia and we should all be super grateful to Cristiano for everything he has done for football and for Portugal. He is the greatest ambassador of the country," he said to the media present at the ceremony.
"He will always be in my heart. He is a special player and a special person to me. And all Portuguese should be proud to have had and still have a player like him. I will say it all my life, he was and is the best player in the history of world football!" added the Portuguese agent.
According to the Portuguese newspaper Público, Mendes stopped being Cristiano Ronaldo's representative after the controversy between the striker and his then club, Manchester United. At that time, the Portuguese player ranted against everyone at Old Trafford and caused unrest.
Jorge Mendes disagreed with the explosive interview that Cristiano gave to English journalist Piers Morgan and his departure from Old Trafford. Thus, due to the various opinions about the future of the player's career, they both decided to break their bond.
The differences between them would have started with Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Juventus in 2021, due to the difficulties of finding a team that met the demands of the Portuguese star, who wanted a leading role and to play in the UEFA Champions League.
Who is Cristiano Ronaldo's new representative?
His representative now is compatriot Ricardo Regufe, who was linked to the American sportswear brand Nike for years, and who accompanied the player on his trip to Saudi Arabia in December 2022. However, the image rights of 'Bicho' continue to be managed by Polaris, a company linked to Mendes' Gestifute.
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