After nearly two decades of working together, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes are no longer partners. The legendary attacker and super agent became synonymous with one another, but while their separation has been known for some time, only now have the details behind their break-up emerged.
Earlier this month, upon completing his move to Saudi Arabia, it was reported that Mendes was no longer the agent of the 37-year-old icon whom he helped join Manchester United and Real Madrid. His bombshell interview with Piers Morgan was pinpointed as the final straw in their relationship as CR7's decision to publicly slam the Red Devils and manager Erik ten Hag ultimately led to his contract termination. However, the troubles began a lot earlier.
According to El Mundo, things took a turn for the worse last summer when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner issued an ultimatum to his agent. Ronaldo, who wanted out of Old Trafford following the club's failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, desired a move to Bayern Munich or Chelsea and was explicit about what would occur should Mendes fail to achieve his demand.
"Bayern, Chelsea or we break up" was Cristiano's message to his representative. Jorge had aired several of his disagreements with Ronaldo at this point, the biggest being the player's decision to leave Real Madrid for Juventus, but this was just a sign of what was yet to come.
The aforementioned Bundesliga and Premier League giants were heavily linked with the five-time UEFA Champions League winner, and for obvious reasons, due to his profile. Todd Boehly was interested in bringing the goalscoring machine to Stamford Bridge but was met with opposition from then-head coach Thomas Tuchel while the German giants had discussions regarding this move but ultimately decided against it.
However, what ultimately killed all interest from the two clubs was Ronaldo's failure to report for pre-season duty. At that time, the consensus was that he was trying to force a move but the player later revealed in his sit-down with Piers Morgan that his daughter was ill and he was unable to leave her side.
Cristiano ended up staying at Old Trafford and did not sever his ties with Mendes that summer. However, that interview with Morgan was the final nail in the coffin as Jorge cautioned Ronaldo against it but the player did not heed his agent's advice.
His representative tried to muster a move to Atletico Madrid or Dortmund but after failing to secure a transfer to a UEFA Champions League club, the pair eventually parted ways.
"What broke was not a simple contract, as Mendes never asked his players to sign it, what broke was much more: a paternal, family, and even business relationship," the report from the Spanish news outlet states.
"The agent is the godfather of one of the player's children and Ronaldo's mother [Dona Dolores] has often shown the adoration she had for Jorge Mendes."
In fact, Mendes was not the man who brokered the Euro 2016 winner's move to Al-Nassr. That role was played by CR7's personal manager and close friend Ricardo Regufe. With the super agent losing influence over one of the greatest players of all time, not only did a remarkable career in Europe come to an end, but also an iconic partnership.
