Mino Raiola, one of the world's most powerful football agents, has died of illness. He was 54 years old at the time. Raiola had clients like Ering Haaland, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Paul Pogba in his care.
We mourn the loss of the most caring and amazing football agent that has ever existed. At the end, Mino fought until the end with the same zeal he used to defend our players at the negotiating tables. As usual, Mino made us proud without even realizing it. " On Twitter, the Raiola family issued a statement.
Mino's mission to improve football as a sport for players will continue with the same zeal. We appreciate everyone's tremendous support during these trying times and respectfully request that family and friends' privacy be respected.
The Italian rose to prominence after arranging high-profile transfers such as Paul Pogba's free transfer to Manchester United and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's free transfer to Manchester United. He was also Romelu Lukaku's agent for a short time before the Belgian decided to switch agents.
At the age of 25, Raiola began working in football transfers, and one of his first deals was the transfer of Dennis Bergkamp to Arsenal. Raiola has also worked for Czech Republic legend Pavel Nedved, who first joined Lazio and then Juventus, with Raiola handling the business end of the deal.
In 2016, he made headlines again when Jose Mourinho pushed for Paul Pogba's transfer from Juventus to Manchester United. Raiola oversaw the deal, which at the time was a world record, as the Red Devils paid 89 million pounds for the French international, making him the club's most expensive signing.
Raiola has a reputation for getting in touch with young prodigies, and his new clients include Erling Haaland, the next goal machine (aged 21), and Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Golden Glove winner in EURO 2020.
He also completed Matthijs de Ligt's transfer from Ajax, where the defender rose to prominence in the UEFA Champions League semifinals with Ajax.
The sudden death of the Italian will raise doubts about a couple of high-profile transfers. For example, Paul Pogba could be on his way out of Manchester United on a free transfer, while Erling Haaland's release clause will be activated this summer, making both of these players no longer tied to Raiola.
