Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship with agent Jorge Mendes 'falling apart'

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently looking for a new club, but his ability to negotiate could be affected by a problem with agent Jorge Mendes.

Portugal were eliminated from the World Cup at the weekend by Morocco, with Ronaldo only managing to come off the bench, for the second game in-a-row.

Fernando Santos' decision to bench the 37-year-old, which worked to perfection in the last 16, certainly didn't go down well with the player's partner.

Ronaldo himself revealed just how emotional he was for the team to be eliminated, with his 'most difficult' dream, to become world champion, coming to an end.

Of course the end of the World Cup campaign had even more effect on the five time Ballon d'Or winner this time around, because he's effectively unemployed now.

At the start of the tournament, his contract with Manchester United was terminated, following the explosive interview he did before heading out to Qatar.

That leaves him without a club for the first time in his career, and looking for a new one ahead of the January transfer window.

But finding a new club isn't turning out to be that easy and it could be to do with his relationship with Mendes, who has represented the forward throughout his career.

According to AS, the bond between the pair has been 'eroding' in recent times and 'tension has rocketed,' not for the first time.

Ronaldo and Mendes have been working together a long time. Image: Alamy

The uncertainty over the player's future is said to be at the heart of the issues between the pair, whose up and down relationship also had issues when Ronaldo wanted to leave Juventus.

It is said to have led to the all time leading scorer in men's international football to listen to others outside of his usual circle, specifically outside of Mendes, about his future.

Back in the summer, the forward told United that he wanted to leave Old Trafford, with the lack of Champions League football, and the wage drop due to it, amongst the reasons.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG were all linked with Ronaldo but none made a move for him, keeping him at United past the transfer window.

He is once again lacking in too many options in Europe, especially considering his previous wages, and is unlikely to find another top Champions League side.

Ronaldo's final game for United was a loss to Aston Villa. Image: Alamy

The former Real Madrid star was offered an escape route to Saudi Arabia in the summer, and once again he's reportedly got the option to go to the Middle East.

He's said have been offered a €200 million per season deal for Saudi club Al-Nassr, to play there for two and a half years.

Antero Henrique, who was previously sporting director at PSG, is also said to be interested in bringing Ronaldo back to Qatar, after the World Cup.

Henrique is head of the Qatar Stars League and AS claim that he is hoping to bring the five time Champions League winner to the league.