What is Jorge Mendes's Net Worth and Salary?
Jorge Mendes is a Portuguese football agent with the Portuguese Football Federation who has a net worth of $100 million. Jorge Mendes is the founder of the agency GestiFute. His notable clients include Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa, and David de Gea. Mendes also represents many athletes outside of football, such as Formula 1 racer Charles Leclerc, surfer Frederico Morais, and tennis player João Sousa.
Early Life
Jorge Mendes was born on January 7, 1966 in Lisbon, Portugal to Maria and Manuel.
Football Agent Career, 1996-2010
In 1996, Mendes founded GestiFute, a Portuguese company providing agent services for footballers. That year, Mendes closed his first deal as a football agent when he brokered Nuno Espírito Santo's move from Vitória de Guimarães to Deportivo de La Coruña. He went on to attract more Portuguese players after that deal, including Jorge Andrade. Mendes also signed some promising young footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma. In 2002, he conducted his first major international transfer when he oversaw Hugo Viana's move from Sporting CP to the Premier League's Newcastle United. The next year, Mendes oversaw the transfer of Ronaldo from Sporting CP to Manchester United. He cemented his reputation in international football in 2004 when he brokered José Mourinho's move from Porto to Chelsea, despite Mourinho already having an agent. Following that major deal, every Portuguese player that went to Chelsea was a client of Mendes, including Paulo Ferreira, Maniche, Tiago, and Ricardo Carvalho.
In 2007, Mendes oversaw the transfers of Nani and Anderson to Chelsea; Pepe to Real Madrid; and Simão to Atlético Madrid. After Mourinho left Chelsea in September of 2007, Mendes oversaw his move to Inter Milan in 2008. The fee for the transfer made Mourinho the highest-paid coach in the world at the time. Also in 2008, Mendes brokered the deal that brought manager Luiz Felipe Scolari to Chelsea. The following year, he brokered the £80 million transfer of Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Mendes generated some controversy in the summer of 2010 when he oversaw the transfer of Bebé from Manchester United to Vitória de Guimarães, ignoring Bebé's agent Gonçalo Reis in the process. Reis was later fired by Bebé, and the transfer was investigated by Portuguese police.
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty Images
2014 Summer Transfer Window
During the summer transfer window in 2014, Mendes brokered four of the biggest deals worldwide and earned around £30 million. The deals consisted of James Rodríguez's move from Monaco to Real Madrid; Ángel Di María's move from Real Madrid to Manchester United; Diego Costa's move from Atlético Madrid to Chelsea; and Eliaquim Mangala's move from Porto to Manchester City.
Third-party Ownership Allegations
In 2014, an investigation by the Guardian implicated Mendes in a breach of FIFA regulations pertaining to third-party ownership and conflicts of interest in player representation, particularly in relation to Chelsea and its former chief executive Peter Kenyon. Subsequently, UEFA announced its intention to crack down on third-party ownership practices.
Other Clients
After the takeover of the EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016, Mendes became an agent for the club. Alongside the team's general manager Andrea Butti and sporting director Kevin Thelwell, he helped sign 12 players during the 2016 summer transfer window. Less than two years later, during the January 2018 transfer window, Mendes began working with the Premier League club Swansea City.
Mendes has a number of clients from sports other than football. They include Formula 1 racing driver Charles Leclerc, surfer Frederico Morais, triple jump champion Patricia Mamona, and tennis player João Sousa. In 2021, Mendes entered the world of cycling with his sports marketing company Polaris Sports, which partnered with Corso Sports to promote riders Ruben Guerreiro and João Almeida.
Honors
Widely considered one of the most influential football agents in the world, Mendes was named Best Agent of the Year by the Globe Soccer Awards ten times between 2010 and 2020.
Personal Life
In the summer of 2015, Mendes married his longtime girlfriend Sandra. Together, they have three children named Jorge Jr., Beatriz, and Bárbara.
