CELEBRITY
Why Ronaldo sacked his super-agent, Mendes
Cristiano Ronaldo has began a new business life with another agent after discarding his long time agent, Jorge Mendes who was glarringly absent in all the ceremonies that attended Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia.
The split in the relationship, it was gathered froom UK’s Daily Mail, was primarily caused by Mendes failure to secure Ronaldo a move to either Chelsea or Bayern Munich when the star player’s was having a turbulent time at Manchester United.
Both Chelsea and Munich were alarmed that Ronaldo missed the start of pre-season training. It was also gathered that Mendes was opposed to the controversial interview the player had with Piers Morgan.
That interview was also the last straw that led to his exit from Manchester United.
Another report in Spanish outlet, El Mundo reveals Ronaldo had issued Mendes with an ultimatum last summer as the star desperately sought a move away from United following the club’s failure to secure Champions League football.
Mendes had touted Ronaldo to several clubs during the transfer window, with Bayern and Chelsea the clubs most prominently linked with a move for the star, in part due to his commercial appeal.
Daily Mail reports that the new Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly was keen at bringing in Ronaldo, but the then manager, Thomas Tuchel was believed to have had reservations.
Oliver Kahn, the CEO of German champions Bayern Munich, had also admitted the club had internally discussed the prospect of signing Ronaldo, before claiming he did not ‘fit our philosophy’.
It is claimed officials from the clubs called Mendes directly to inform the agent they were no longer willing to pursue a deal.
Ronaldo had explained during his interview with Morgan that his late return for pre-season training had been due to his daughter’s illness.
His daughter’s sickness came just three months after the tragic death of his baby son.
Ronaldo ultimately stayed with United and with Mendes in the build-up to the World Cup in Qatar, before both relationships collapsed after his interview with Morgan.
United terminated Ronaldo’s contract after he criticised the club’s leadership, including manager Erik ten Hag.
Mendes reportedly attempted to secure Ronaldo a move to Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund following his exit from United.
The agent had previously contacted Sir Alex Ferguson to help bring Ronaldo back to United after the star had reportedly informed Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri of his intent to leave the Italian side without having a move lined up.
The pair’s split came after a move to a Champions League side failed to materialise.
‘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,’ El Mundo reported.
‘The agent is godfather of one of the player’s children and Ronaldo’s mother [Dona Dolores] has often shown the adoration she had for Jorge Mendes.’
The split had followed Mendes increasingly losing influence over Ronaldo. The Portuguese star is said to have turned towards his partner ‘Georgina Rodríguez and those around him’.
Ronaldo’s personal manager and close friend Regufe ultimately brokered his stunning £175m-a-year move to Al-Nassr.
Regufe, whose presence during the World Cup had been questioned by Portuguese team-mates, flanked the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on his arrival in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The League of Wealthy Sportsmen
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2025
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