Super-agent Jorge Mendes accused of €18m tax fraud | OneFootball

Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes may well be the most famous in the game. The long-time representative of Cristiano Ronaldo, he is now set for another decade at the side of the top talents in the game with Lamine Yamal amongst his illustrious clientele. However he is facing legal trouble back in his native Portugal.

Mendes has been accused of tax fraud to the tune of €18m, according to Correio da Manha, as carried by Diario AS. The transaction that has brought him to the attention of the authorities is not in fact to do with his business in football, but rather a donation that he made to his wife.

Mendes made multi-million donation to wife

As part of an operation named ‘Offside’, the Public Ministry in Portugal have accused Mendes of avoiding tax after donating nearly half of the capital of a business to his wife, only for said business to be bought by another company linked to Mendes. They say that it resulted in a tax loss of €18m, which is the fine that he must now pay.

Photo by Gerard Franco / MD

Tax fraud denied by lawyers

Mendes’ legal team have moved quickly to deny that this is the case, and say the accusation is ‘incorrect and unfounded’. Lawyer Rui Patricio de Morais Leitao had the following to say, noting that despite claiming his innocence, he would be paying the money back.

“We strongly refute this accusation, because there was no tax fraud. The accusation is incorrect and unfounded; and it is unfair, both in and of itself and also considering Jorge Mendes’ life story and the contributions he has made to the country, as well as his history as a contributor to himself and his companies. We emphasize that the facts at stake are strictly related to his personal, family, and financial affairs, and not to his professional sphere.”

“It should be noted that the matter in question had already been analysed by the Tax Administration in 2014 (approximately 11 years ago), and there were also various subsequent inspections and analyses. However, despite this, and for many years, no issue was ever raised regarding these facts. In any case, this being the first time (in March 2025) that TA has concluded that the tax is due, and although his lawyers consider this conclusion incorrect, Jorge Mendes intends to pay the amount in question. We now await the completion of the legal procedures for payment already initiated by Jorge Mendes…”

Jorge Mendes with a history amongst Spain’s big three

Mendes has been a frequent face in some of the biggest deals in Spanish football over the last two decades, first associating closely with Real Madrid. In recent years, Mendes’ clients have been continuously on the books of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, with Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde and Ansu Fati all part of the Gestifute agency.