A source close to super agent Jorge Mendes has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-encompassing ego and claimed that no European club could fulfill his unrealistic demands.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in a shock, record-breaking move on 30 December 2022. Ronaldo’s switch to Al-Nassr came after his amicable contract termination at Manchester United.
The club and the player parted ways following Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where he criticised United’s owners as well as coach Erik ten Hag. According to various sources, Ronaldo’s agent at the time, Mendes, advised him against giving that interview. Ronaldo overlooked his advice, which led to Mendes dropping his superstar client after over 20 years together.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes have split. One of the reasons was due to Ronaldo granting Piers Morgan a purposely offensive interview directed at Manchester United, the coach, and the cook, against the advice of Mendes. [@publico]#TheGoalpostNews #Ronaldo #Mendes #MUFC https://t.co/n8LfXDnzxe
Now, a source close to Mendes has come out swinging at Ronaldo, accusing him of having a supersized ego and unrealistic expectations.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has an obvious problem of perception that doesn’t allow him to discern if the praise he receives is real or fake. He’s very curious, that’s why those around him treat him like a triumphant Julius Caesar all the time, because they know that he is not capable of seeing beyond,” said the source (via El Confidencial).
He also claimed that the Portugal legend’s inability to deliver on the pitch as well as his unrealistic demands discouraged European clubs from showing interest in him.
“Ronaldo cannot survive his fame one month after his 38th birthday. And he certainly can’t cash in like the star he’s been. There is no one who can satisfy his ego, his economic request and at the same time give him the collective opportunities that make sense in his head, but not in reality,” the source added.
Brazilian great Juninho says Cristiano Ronaldo’s new Al-Nassr boss will willingly serve him breakfast if needed
Arguably the best free-kick taker in history (77 free-kick goals), Juninho Pernambucano has lashed out at Cristiano Ronaldo’s new Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia. Garcia served as Olympique Lyon’s head coach before taking up the Al-Nassr job and worked closely with Juninho, who was the French club’s Sporting Director at the time.
Juninho slammed Garcia’s self-serving attitude and claimed that he would go above and beyond to please Ronaldo’s ego.
“He [Rudi Garcia] doesn’t know how to lead anything. He leads by the fear he imposes on others,” Juninho said on Marca.
“He only respects people who have power or those he can take advantage of in the relationship.”
On Ronaldo’s topic, he said:
“He won’t dare do anything to get in the way, on the contrary, he will even serve Cristiano breakfast if necessary.
“He will try to be Cristiano’s friend, to be close and he will do everything he can for that. It will be a dream for him to be friends with Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Middle Eastern club (until June 2025), becoming the highest-paid athlete in the process. According to renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the superstar is set to earn around $200 million per year during his stay in Saudi Arabia.
