Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr: Super-agent Jorge Mendes not involved in huge deal | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo’s £175 million-a-year move to Saudi side Al-Nassr was negotiated without the involvement of renowned ‘super-agent’ Jorge Mendes.

The 56-year-old, who counts the likes of Ederson, Darwin Nunez and Rafael Leao among his vast portfolio of big-name clients, has represented the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ever since he moved from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United in 2003.

However, their working relationship of close to two decades is now on the rocks after the pair disagreed over the player’s next career move.

According to a report from AS several weeks ago, tensions between Ronaldo and Mendes had ‘rocketed’ to the point that parties interested in the superstar following his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford in November were instructed to go direct to him, rather than through his agent.

Mendes had been attempting to find Ronaldo a route out of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ since last summer. However, he was ultimately unable to persuade any of Europe’s big hitters to make a move for the Champions League’s record goalscorer, with his sky-high salary demands undoubtedly a major stumbling block.

The situation appears to have put a considerable strain on their working relationship.

Their rift was seemingly never healed, as Marca recently revealed that all negotiations for Ronaldo’s mega-money switch to the Gulf state were handled by his personal manager – and close pal – Ricky Regufe.

The same outlet also reported that Ronaldo had eventually accepted that it would be ‘practically impossible’ for him to move to a Champions League club before committing to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr, where he will become the best-paid player in football history.

Ronaldo is likely to play for his new club for two-and-a-half years, before transitioning into an advisory role for Saudi Arabian football once he hangs up his boots.

Who is Ricky Regufe – the man who helped negotiate Ronaldo’s massive Al-Nassr contract?

Per the Daily Mail, Regufe – who has worked for Ronaldo since 2018 – was formerly a top marketing manager at Nike and was key in convincing the player to sign a boot deal with the sportswear giant all the way back in 2003.

The duo have remained close ever since, with Regufe even seen embracing Ronaldo in tears on the pitch following Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph.

However, his presence did not go down well at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where a number of the Portugal squad were said to be ‘uneasy’ about the 43-year-old being a part of the camp, questioning why he was there at all.

However, having just seemingly played a major role in negotiating the biggest contract in football history, Regufe looks set to be an ever-expanding influence in what’s left of Ronaldo’s career.

Whether that means the end of the relationship between Mendes and Ronaldo – who were once said to be ‘like father and son’ – remains to be seen.