Cristiano Ronaldo has a new right-hand man, he's quit his job of 20 years to focus on him

Cristiano Ronaldo parted company with long-time right-hand man and super-agent Jorge Mendes last year, but it seems the former Manchester United striker has now replaced him.

Ronaldo's friend and advisor Ricky Regufe has quit his job with the Portuguese national football team to work more closely with the striker.

Regufe combined his position as Ronaldo's personal manager with a role with Portugal for some 20 years, but has announced the change in job on his social media this week.

"It was a pride and a privilege to have served my country as a member of the national team over two decades," he said.

"I lived unforgettable moments and made friendships for life. I saw up close the national team winning the two major trophies it has won so far and I watched Cristiano Ronaldo become the best player in the world.

"I thank the players, coaches and staff for everything we've experienced together. A new stage begins but the desire to see our national team win is always the same!"

Regufe is a former Nike executive and will take a percentage of Ronaldo's bumper £173m-a-year contract with Saudi club Al Nassr.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to the Saudi Arabian Pro League after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United in November. That saga saw Ronaldo and Mendes part ways after an association dating back more than 20 years to the forward's Sporting Lisbon days.

Regufe now becomes the latest high-profile exit from the Portuguese national setup, after Fernando Santos left the manager's role after an eight-year stint, following the side's World Cup exit at the quarter-final stage.

Former Belgium, Everton and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is the new Portgual manager and will oversee his first games in charge when they take on Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in Euro 2024 qualifiers in the next week.

Many thought Ronaldo, 38, would retire from international football following the World Cup in Qatar, but he's joined up with the Portugal squad this week and is likely to play a major part in the upcoming qualifying campaign.

Featured Image Credit: PA/Alamy

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Football, Al Nassr

Dominic Booth

Dominic is a freelance journalist for SportBible who also works for the Evening Standard and Sporting News and was formerly a Manchester United writer and editor for the MEN. He's a big Test cricket fan and Arctic Monkeys obsessive.

@DomBooth19