Written by A. Introduction
For some, the jobs of players’ agents have become increasingly essential to football, and the value of their significance contributes to the sport’s status as a billion-pound global enterprise.
Others view agents as useless wastes of money that drain millions of pounds from the sport each year, which is dependent on them to maintain the system’s effectiveness.
In most cases, a football player’s career begins when a relationship between an agent and a client is established. In all off-field situations, the agent replaces any parents, coaches, or guardians as the player’s official representation.
Therefore, player agents manage a player’s contracts, public relations, sponsorships, transfers, and a long list of other tasks, depending on the player’s career, such as choosing how to spend any surplus earnings.
By using simple common sense, it becomes obvious that the player’s value to the agent as a client increases with his level of success.
2. So, how do agent earn an income?
Agents are entitled to a percentage of all revenues, sponsorships, and contract negotiations, and depending on how well they choose the players they can represent, their agency may be very impactful.
As you can see, the larger scale in football world has different feelings for them, they are both admired and derided by many in the football world, according to their capacity for earning millions of pounds after only one day’s work, depending on what happens to their player on the field.
Agents received significant profits when they transferred players like Ronaldo, Messi, Di Maria, and Mbappe, but neither the media nor fans paid any attention to this situation.
When inflated and unrealistic transfer prices that don’t explain how the money is spent don’t raise any red flags, it is a strong indication that there is a problem with the way football teams and agencies are handling their business.
During highly publicized transfer sagas, such as the Carlos Tevez saga, where agent Kia Joorabchian was at the center of a difficult situation between West Ham and his agency before brokering a deal for the Argentinian’s transfer to Manchester United, agent typically find himself in the public spotlight.
3. luxurious lifestyle of agents
For additional examples of an agent’s potential to make a lot of money, consider Pini Zahavi, the most legendary football agent in the world, who was the key driver behind the £65.5 million transfer deals that brought Rio Ferdinand, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni from Manchester United to Everton
It would be reasonable to think you enjoyed an incredibly luxurious lifestyle if you were receiving a significant commission from that sum. But for what?, and at whose expense?
for increasing the transfer market and inflated player values, which suffocate the financial capacity of smaller clubs? The problem is that until these agents’ duties and every activity are transparently displayed to the viewing public, people will continue to have doubts about them.
But it’s crucial to realize that without player’s agents, football, and any other sport for that matter, would be in mess.
Money offers from dishonest agents to managers have been documented, but neither the managers nor the English Football Association will accept this behavior
But, it would be ridiculous to assume that all football agents are honest, thus concerns must be raised about other, minor leagues across the world that do not have the media analyzing every transfer deal that is done.
Yet, football would be a chaotic mix of shady connections and dishonest strategies where fraud would be pervasive without agents. FIFA and all other relevant authorities keep a close eye on agents as they go about their business. Players and the market they operate in would be incredibly exposed without the stringent infrastructure they apply.
Now we can see you waiting for those famous football agents who made a huge difference in football history, so here is the top 5 on the list
5. Jose Otin
Holding a big portion the Spanish market, Jose Otin’s Bahia Internacional group has helped broker some of the bigger deals involving players from the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup.
Fernando Torres has been on the move a lot recently, first joining AC Milan before a switch back home to Atletico Madrid, while Pedro hit the headlines this summer following his switch to Chelsea.
His Key clients are Fernando Torres, Pedro Rodriguez, Jesus Navas and Javi Martinez.
4. Jonathan Barnett
The man behind the biggest transfer world football has ever seen, Jonathan Barnett will forever be able to live off the reputation garnered by helping secure Gareth Bale his dream switch to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013.
A key figure in British transfers, Barnett’s group, Stellar, also helped Luke Shaw switch from Southampton to Manchester United in 2014 and aided in Joe Hart’s contract negotiations at Manchester City last season.
3. Mino Raiola
An active figure in the media, Mino Raiola is never short of a quote or two when it comes to talking about the players he counts as clients.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli on the same roster, you can understand why, but Raiola’s key client over the next year or so is almost certain to be Juventus’ Paul Pogba, who continues to grow as a player and is coveted by all of the elite clubs.
2. Volker Struth
The man who looks after plenty of Germany’s World Cup winners, super-agent Volker Struth might not be too well-known, but his company, SportsTotal, makes a lot of his money in renegotiating contracts for its superstars.
Marco Reus is one such player who benefitted from as much, while one recent transfer he was heavily involved in was the move that took Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid years ago.
1. Jorge Mendes
There are no prizes for guessing who makes it to No. 1, with the influence of Jorge Mendes now so apparent at the very top level of world football.
Last October we counted down Mendes’ 20 biggest deals during what has been a lifetime in football, and with plenty more transfers and contract renewals for Gestifute’s clients on the way, you can be sure the Portuguese won’t be out of pocket any time soon.
and now you can see the importance of this job in football industry, that is why it’s been considered as top rated and difficult job among others and with no doubt our platform Heyagoal has its own section to completely cover it.
