CRISTIANO RONALDO has reportedly hired a new “personal manager” following his move to Al Nassr.
The 37-year-old has been represented by high-profile agent Jorge Mendes for nearly two decades.
EPACristiano Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr last week[/caption]
ReutersRonaldo’s ex-agent Jorge Mendes will not receive commission from the deal[/caption]
Instagram / RickyRegufeRonaldo’s new representative is Ricardo Regufe, right[/caption]
But over the past 18 months it is claimed their relationship has been “deteriorating”.
And according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Ronaldo is now being represented by new manager Ricardo Regufe – who will take £26million in commission from the Al Nassr move.
Ronaldo first met Regufe when the Real Madrid legend signed a deal with a sports equipment company.
And now the manager appears to have hit the jackpot as Ronaldo has reportedly selected him as his representative for the Saudi Arabian venture.
It is understood that Mendes proposed a Middle Eastern move before CR7’s return to Manchester United in 2021.
When Ronaldo chose to go back to Old Trafford instead, his relationship with Mendes allegedly began to fray.
Ronaldo’s deal with Al Nassr stands at a ludicrous £175m-a-year, making him by far the best-paid sportsperson in the world.
He touched down in Saudi Arabia on Monday as he prepares to kick off a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club.
The former Man Utd man will be unveiled at 4pm BST on Tuesday.
His public arrival will take place at an open training session in front of Al Nassr supporters at the team’s 25,000-seater Mrsool Park stadium in Riyadh – where he will meet manager Rudi Garcia for the first time.
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However, he is not expected to feature for the club until January 14 when they go to Al-Shabab.
Speaking after being announced, Ronaldo said: “I’m thrilled for new experience in a different league and a different country.
The breakdown of Ronaldo’s lucrative deal with Al Nassr
“The vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring. I am very excited to join my team-mates, to help the team to achieve more success.”
The full deal is believed to run over seven years in total – with Ronaldo taking on an ambassadorial role once he hangs up his boots.
That means Ronaldo would pocket as much as £1.2BILLION over the course of the contract.
Al Nassr moved to the top of the Saudi Pro League over the weekend following a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej.