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Jorge Mendes, who was Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent for a large part of his career opened up on his split with the Portuguese star for the first time. Reportedly, the 38-year-old Ronaldo and his longtime agent parted ways following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, which resulted in his painful departure from Manchester United. Furthermore, Ronaldo is alleged to have broken up his relationship with Mendes after the agent failed to land a transfer deal in Europe.
It was alleged earlier this year that Ronaldo's close buddy Ricardo Regufe handled and arranged the 38-year-old's January transfer to Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr rather than Mendes. Amid his difficult last few months at Manchester United, Ronaldo had reportedly grown dissatisfied with Mendes and asked his then-representative to find him a new club in Europe.
But even after falling apart, Jorge Mendes has continued to maintain a friendly relationship with the Portuguese legend and stated that he has a "great personal relationship" with Ronaldo. He told reporters, "He (Ronaldo) is a special player and a special person for me. If I, a few years ago, thought that I could have a player with half the value of Cristiano, I would sign for less! And all of us Portuguese should be proud to have had and still have a player like him. I've always said it and I'll say it all my life: he was and is the best player in the entire history of world football! I don't have the slightest doubt, even compared to others."
Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Al-Nassr's last match ahead of EURO 2024 Qualifiers
Although Ronaldo had a great start with the club, his team's 1-1 draw with Al Ettifaq prevented them from winning the Saudi Pro League. As a result of their 3-0 victory over Al Feiha on the road, Al Ittihad was named the Saudi Arabian champion. Ronaldo, who was unable to register a goal and was replaced in the 84th minute, had a difficult game overall. Despite joining Al Nassr in the middle of the season, Ronaldo is the fifth-greatest scorer in the division this year with 14 goals in 16 league games.