Soccer super-agent Jorge Mendes has entered the cycling world through a partnership between his sports marketing company Polaris Sports and João Correia's Corso Sports.

Under the agreement, Portuguese riders João Almeida (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Rubén Guerreiro (EF Education-Nippo) will be promoted by Polaris.

Mendes is one of soccer's most famous "super agents," representing Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, and Everton star James Rodriguez through his company GestiFute. He is also heavily involved with teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Monaco, and Atletico Madrid. He also represents other sports stars, such as Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc.

Corso, meanwhile, represents 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers), Tour de France stage winner Soren Klag Andersen (Team DSM) and time trial specialist Mikkel Bjarg (UAE Team Emirates), who represents talented young riders throughout the entire propeloton.

"Polaris Sports and Corso have signed a partnership agreement aimed at optimizing the commercial prospects of Portuguese athletes working with [Corso] in a partnership that is expected to be fruitful and successful," a press release issued by Polaris reads.

Almeida and Guerreiro, like Corso's other clients, are stars of Hagens Berman Axiom, the company that broke ground in the 2020 Giro d'Italia. Almeida, a neo-pro last season, held on to Maria Rosa for two weeks and finished fourth in Milan after conceding it on stage 17 in Stelvio. Meanwhile, Guerreiro took the mountains jersey and won stage 9 in Roccaraso.

After a great season, Guerreiro suffered a horrific end to 2020 when he was hit by a car while training last week; the 26-year-old broke his collarbone and will undergo surgery.