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Big stars, big clubs and humongous fanbases. Football is a beautiful sport but there are a lot of people working behind the scenes that contribute towards making it the spectacle that it is. For a player to make it to the top, he needs a lot of external factors to complement his talent and aspirations.
That's why having a good agent can make a world of difference. Agents are crucial to players trying to establish contacts and networks in the world of professional football. They are the ones who can help players navigate contract negotiations and also act as middlemen in transfers.
There are several highly recognizable names among football agents. Some of them are more popular than football players. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best agents in football right now.
#5 Pini Zahavi
Pini Zahavi made a big name for himself as Chelsea transformed into a European giant under Roman Abramovich. The Russian billionaire bought the London-based club in 2003 and Zahavi became a member of Abramovich's inner circle.
He brokered deals for several high-profile stars and made £5 million in agent fees from all the deals Chelsea struck in the summer when Abramovich took over. He was arguably the biggest agent around at the time. It was Zahavi who represented Rio Ferdinand when he secured a switch from Leeds United to Manchester United.
Currently, his clientele includes players like Robert Lewandowski, Christopher Nkunku, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Alex Telles, Julian Weigl etc.
#4 Wasserman
Casey Wasserman is the founder of Wasserman Media Group which acquired Football Agency SFX in 2006. They took over a client list that had a raft of high-profile players. The list included players like Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Keane, Jack Wilshere, Park Ji-Sung and Wes Brown to name a few.
Wasserman is still among the most powerful agencies in the world of football and represents some very talented players. Real Madrid's Fede Valverde, Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, Lyon's Houssem Aouar and Borussia Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro are a few of the big names.
He represents players across Europe's top 5 leagues and has plenty of Premier League players on his list. Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes, Leander Dendoncker, Joe Gomez, Tyrone Mings, Weston McKennie, Clement Lenglet, Ismaila Sarr and Andre Gomes are all represented by Wasserman.
#3 Jonathan Barnett
Jonathan Barnett has become one of the most recognizable names in the sports agency sphere. Barnett is the chairman of ICM Stellar Sports agency and was voted as the number 1 sports agent in the world in 2019 by Forbes.
He represents individuals across various sports like cricket, boxing, football etc. Barnett's clientele is first-rate. Players who made sensational moves this past transfer window like Jack Grealish, Eduardo Camavinga, Daniel James, Ibrahima Konate and Saul Niguez are represented by Barnett.
His other high-profile clients include Gareth Bale, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell, Sergino Dest, Kieran Tierney, James Ward-Prowse and Jordan Pickford among many others.
It must have been a profitable summer for Jonathan Barnett and co. as they were able to broker some of the most expensive deals of the summer.
#2 Mino Raiola
Super agent Mino Raiola is quite infamous in the footballing world. He has played a role in some of the most high-profile transfers in recent times. Raiola represents some of the biggest personalities in the world of football and has a reputation for being tough to negotiate with.
Clubs might hate him but the players he represents seem to love him. Why wouldn't they? Raiola has a reputation for striking the most lucrative deals for his clients. He also shares a great rapport with them.
Mino Raiola's client Erling Haaland is currently one of the most sought-after players in the world. Some of the other players that Raiola represents are Paul Pogba, Matthijs De Ligt, Donnarumma, Marco Verratti, Moise Kean, Donyell Malen and Hirving Lozano.
#1 Jorge Mendes
Jorge Mendes is the founder of Gestifute, a Portuguese company that provides agent services for footballers. Mendes largely represents players from Portugal but his clientele is not limited to them. The biggest player that Mendes manages is Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently copped a move to Manchester United.
Mendes has played a huge role in bringing an abundance of Portuguese and South American talent to the Premier League. Players like Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, James Rodriguez, Joao Cancelo, Ederson, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Pedro Neto, Ricardo Pereira and Nelson Semedo are all represented by Mendes.
A few of the other high-profile players represented by Mendes are Angel Di Maria, Andre Silva, Daniel Podence, Francisco Trincao and Renato Sanches. Jorge Mendes is currently the agent with arguably the most remarkable clientele among football agents.
