Cristiano Ronaldo splits with Jorge Mendes: From discord over Morgan interview to Regufe's Al-Nassr masterstroke

For years Jorge Mendes played an instrumental role in Cristiano Ronaldo and his illustrious career.

However, the long-time association with his super-agent reportedly ended after a disagreement over his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, which led to his abrupt departure from Manchester United.

The 37-year-old striker from Portugal was formally introduced as an Al-Nassr player on Tuesday after arriving in Saudi Arabia and signing a 175 million pounds contract.

It comes after a turbulent few weeks in which Ronaldo, who had been dropped by United earlier in the season, accused the Red Devils of "betraying" him and attacked manager Erik ten Hag in the TalkTV interview.

Mendes reportedly objected to Cristiano Ronaldo giving the interview and realised thereafter that there was little chance of finding the superstar a top club in Europe.

According to Portuguese news outlet Publico, despite the contentious nature of his Old Trafford departure, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner anticipated receiving offers from top European clubs if he performed at the World Cup in Qatar.

Mendes had a different opinion since he understood that only Al-Nassr could meet Ronaldo's wage demands. He had already started the process by gauging the Saudi Arabian club's interest.

This theory was proven when the Portuguese talisman underperformed at the World Cup and was benched by coach Fernando Santos for the knockout stages.

Publico claimed the striker's actions during the showpiece tournament were a 'constant source of irritation' for the Portugal team, with his teammates and the federation 'hushing up almost everything'.

At this moment, Ronaldo's manager and close friend Ricky Regufe intervened to arrange his move to the Middle East. Regufe was integrated into the Portugal camp throughout the World Cup, which other team members found curious. Conflict soon developed between Regufe and Mendes' business Gestifute.

In his presentation on Tuesday, the 37-year-old icon stated that he had been approached by numerous clubs in Europe, Brazil, Australia, the United States, and even Portugal but that he had already committed to Al-Nassr.

Meanwhile, a report in The Athletic claimed that European clubs were given the opportunity to pay Cristiano Ronaldo just over 4 million pounds a year (80k pounds a week) in the summer. However, no one took the bait.