YOU all know his name – after all, he’s the man behind some of the biggest transfers in world football.
Down the years, he’s negotiated close to £1BILLION‘s worth of transfers and is never far away from the spotlight.
Mino Raiola is one of football’s biggest agents – and it all started in his family’s restaurant in HollandCredit: Getty – Contributor
Raiola has been Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent for over 20 yearsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Of course, we’re talking about Mino Raiola.
But did you know it all started for him in his family’s restaurant?
Raiola, 48, is an Italian-born Dutchman, who moved to Holland with his family when he was just a one year old.
As he grew up in Holland, he worked in his family’s Italian restaurant called Napoli, which thrived due to its use of authentic Italian produce.
Raiola, who can speak SEVEN languages, had a better grasp of Dutch than his father and would negotiate with the buyers from a young age.
Away from the restaurant, Raiola spent two years at law school, while also playing for local team HFC Haarlem.
From there, he was given a job at Sport-Promotion, an agency which looked after many of the top Dutch stars at the time.
Thanks to being fluent in both Dutch and Italian, he was an integral part of the major transfers the agency conducted.
Mino Raiola is a controversial figure despite his obvious success
Raiola, pictured here with Zlatan’s wife Helena Seger, has been with the Swede since he was 18 and playing for Ajax Credit: Getty – Contributor
Those deals included Dennis Bergkamp and Wim Jonk from Ajax to Inter Milan for a combined £11million in 1993.
Then it was time to leave the company and set up his own business, with his first major deal being Pavel Nedved’s move from Sparta Prague to Lazio following the Czech playmaker’s outstanding performances at Euro 96.
With his own company, he began to hoard many Ajax players as clients.
And a meeting with one young Swedish player would form a relationship that has cost more than £130m in transfer fees alone… the one and only Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic tells the story of how they first met in his autobiography, I Am Zlatan, with the super-agent turning up to a posh restaurant wearing scruffy jeans and a T-shirt, before gorging himself.
Ibra recalled: “Was he supposed to be an agent, that weirdo?
“And then when we ordered, what do you think they brought us? A few pieces of sushi with avocado and prawns?
“We got a massive spread, enough to feed five people, and he started stuffing himself.”
He soon won Ibrahimovic over, however, detailing other top European strikers’ records compared to his over the lunch – and he has been his agent ever since.
Raiola does have enemies though, of course.
Raiola infamously got on the wrong side of Fergie after helping Pogba join Juventus in 2012
Raiola recently revealed Pogba’s times at Man Utd is ‘over’Credit: Instagram
Sir Alex Ferguson blamed Raiola for starlet Paul Pogba’s Manchester United exit in 2012.
Ferguson said Pogba was close to signing a new contract with United before Raiola came on board as his agent.
But because himself and Raiola were like ‘oil and water’ it failed to materialise and Pogba signed for Juventus.
Fergie wrote in his book, Leading: “There are one or two football agents I simply do not like.
“And Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba’s agent, is one of them… I distrusted him from the moment I met him.
“We had Paul under a three-year contract, and it had a one-year renewal option which we were eager to sign.
“But Raiola suddenly appeared on the scene and our first meeting was a fiasco.
“He and I were like oil and water. From then on, our goose was cooked because Raiola had been able to ingratiate himself with Paul and his family and the player signed with Juventus.”
Of course, Pogba would return four years later in a then-world-record £89million move – with Raiola pocketing a monster £20m fee for his troubles.
Raiola now has close to 80 PLAYERS signed up to his agency.
Raiola also has Henrikh Mkhitaryan on his booksCredit: Instagram
Raiola is set to have his hands full with Erling Haaland in the years to comeCredit: AFP
Some are the biggest names in world football, such as Pogba, Ibrahimovic, wonderkid Erling Haaland, Mario Balotelli and Matthijs De Ligt.
Some are promising Dutch stars, with Raiola sticking close to his roots.
As well as De Ligt, Raiola has the likes of Donyell Malen, Myron Boadu, Mohamed Ihattaren, Justin Kluivert and Calvin Stengs on his books.
But Raiola doesn’t always have things his own way, losing Romelu Lukaku in 2018, with the Belgian former United and Chelsea signing with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation instead.
Reports claim Lukaku ‘got fed up’ with him and decided to start afresh.
Since leaving Raiola, Lukaku has quit Man Utd, signed for Inter Milan and enjoyed arguably the best years of his career.
With such a large group of talented stars signing up to his agency, Raiola will always be busy, for better or worse.
Most-recently, the super-agent claimed Pogba’s time at Man Utd was ‘over’ for a second time.
Raiola hasn’t always had things his own way, losing Romelu Lukaku as a client in 2018Credit: AFP or licensors
The midfielder has long made it clear he wants to leave Old Trafford – pushing for a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019.
But a move never materialised, with Pogba – and Raiola – destined for an action-packed 2021 with clubs set to scramble for his signature.
Raiola’s fun and games won’t end with Pogba, though.
Real Madrid have in no uncertain terms revealed they are chasing another of his clients, Haaland, in the summer of 2021.
Liverpool and Man Utd have also been linked with the on-fire Borussia Dortmund youngster, too.
Haaland and Pogba really are just the tip of the iceberg though.
With close to 80 clients, most of whom are either genuine superstars or budding prodigies, Raiola will be rushed off his feet for decades to come, pocketing millions for his services.
And to think, it all started in an Italian restaurant in Holland…
Watch Mino Raiola hang up on Simon Jordan in furious row over Ibrahimovic’s FIFA 21 image rights live on talkSPORT
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
