The visible face of soccer are the teams, coaches and players, but behind this scenario emerge other actors who are responsible for turning instructions for professional decision making of their players. Soccer agents advise, accompany and influence every step taken by their players, which is why they have become one of the most powerful arms of the beautiful game.
Nowadays, these soccer representatives and their agencies are determining factors for the success of a player or club, through the negotiation of good contracts and sponsorship. Thanks to them, many have even reached the pinnacle in terms of earnings and worldwide fame.
In short, the representatives are also part of the complex ecosystem of soccer, a sport where you can place sports bets with BOLAVIP from online platforms. But who are these personalities? The most successful agents and their players are listed below.
Jorge Mendes is one of the most powerful figures in world soccer, he was the advisor to star Cristiano Ronaldo for much of his professional career and was arguably a pillar in the growth of the Portuguese star.
But in addition to the former Real Madrid striker, the Portuguese agent has had in his portfolio of clients the best players on the planet, earning the Tuttosport Best Agent of the Year award in 2024 for his career. Some of his most emblematic players have been: James Rodriguez, João Félix; and for the previous decades, Ricardo Quaresma, Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco and Tiago.
Today, his company, Gestifute, registers more than140 high-level and high-performance footballers with a market value of around €1.4 billion, according to Transfermarkt’s market report, in addition to the sports managers who also benefit from his services.
It is no coincidence that Mendes is nicknamed “Super Agent”, his influence in the world of soccer and his high income from transfer fees is undeniable.
Gestifute has under its representation eleven players with high market value according to Transfermarkt, they are: Rúben Dias (Manchester City, €75M), Bradley Barcola (PSG, €65M), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, €60M), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, €60M), Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain, €60M), Pedro Neto (Chelsea, €55M), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, 55M€), Leny Yoro (Manchester United, 55M€), Diogo Jota (Liverpool, 50M€), Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United, 50M€), and Lamine Yamal, who will be represented by Gestifute when he turns 18.
Jonathan Barnett is a pretigious British agent who is widely recognized for his work with the likes of Gareth Bale. In 2019, he won the Forbes Most Powerful Agent Award. Barnett became known across the globe for the €100 million transfer of Welsh attacker Gareth Bale to Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 and the signing of Jack Grealish to Manchester City in the summer of 2021.
Grealish became the most expensive player in the Premier League, with City paying Aston Villa €100 million for the transfer. His agency includes other well-known players: Saul Niguez, Eduardo Camavinga, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jordan Pickford. Other Stellar clients include: Pierre Kalulu, center back, Mathias Jensen, midfielder, Anthony Elanga, right winger, Liam Delap, center forward, Joe Fryer, goalkeeper, Jamie Soule, center forward and Nicholas Defreitas-Hansen, goalkeeper.
Another high-profile media agent in the industry is Pini Zahavi, who has represented talented footballers such as Rio Ferdinand, Radamel Falcao, and Neymar.
In charge of his company Gol International Ltd, he has dedicated himself to serving as an intermediary between clubs, which is why he is known as the “Facilitator”. The Israeli’s most famous client is Robert Lewandowski, in fact the Pole’s move to Barcelona is linked to Zahavi’s effective negotiations.
He also currently represents Dani Rodríguez, Roberto Tomás, Christopher Nkunku, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Kevin Christian Trapp and Alex Telles.
With the death of Mino Raiola in 2022, his heirs took over the reins of his empire, now the agency registered as One Sarl will be run by lawyer Rafaela Pimenta, who will continue to advise soccer players and mediate in the transfers that the Italian-Dutch agent was in charge of.
Raiola’s soccer agenda is still on-going, and his most notorious signing was Haaland for City. Among the other footballers represented by Mino Raiola are: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Adnan Januzaj, Rolf Feltscher, Henrij Mjitarián, Marco Verratti, Hirving Lozano, Matthijs de Ligt.
