Agent to the biggest stars
The family of football super agent Mino Raiola have confirmed that he has passed away at the age of 54. Regarded by most as one of the sport’s most recognised agents, Raiola represented some of the biggest players in the world, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland.
Reports in Italy from earlier in the week suggested that the agent had passed away, only for Raiola to publicly deny such suspicions by taking to Twitter and joking that this was the second time that he had been reported as dead in less than a year. However, a few days later Raiola’s family then confirmed that he had passed away.
— Mino Raiola (@MinoRaiola) April 30, 2022
A statement from his family read: “In infinite sorrow, we share the passing of the most caring and amazing football agent that ever was. Mino fought until the end with the same strength he put on negotiation tables to defend our players. As usual, Mino made us proud and never realised it.
“Mino touched so many lives through his work and wrote a new chapter in the history of modern football. His presence will forever be missed. Mino’s mission of making football a better place for players will continue with the same passion.”
Raiola began life in Italy, where he was born before moving on to the Netherlands as a child and was raised for much of his adolescence. However, it was his Italian roots which got him his first break in football, when he coordinated Pavel Nedved’s move to Lazio in 1996 and worked his way up the Italian football ladder.
As part of a new generation of agents that rose to prominence with the increasing power of players in the global game, Raiola oversaw some of the biggest moves in European football history, with the likes of Ibrahimovic’s £63 million move from Inter to Barcelona or Pogba’s £95 million move from Juventus to Manchester United as two such examples of his power at its peak.
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