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The world's most beautiful game isn't all about the players and the clubs. Talent and aspirations won't add up to much if opportunities are not recognized and chances are not taken at the right time. That is where the football agents come in.
Agents recognize talent and help young players establish connections in the professional football sphere and also act as middlemen in transfers and in contract negotiations.
There are several top football agents whose names are more recognizable than that of some football players. For all their effort, the agents take a certain percentage of money as commission and as a result, they become quite rich too. It is a win-win situation for everyone.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 most influential football agents in the world right now.
#5 Pedro Pereira (Lian Sports)
Pedro Pereira rose to prominence quite quickly and has become one of the most prominent names in the player representation circles. He has some really high-profile clients and has stood as the middleman in some high-profile deals this summer as well.
He is the co-founder of Lian Sports and they pack quite an elite list of clients that include the likes of Leroy Sane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Miralem Pjanic, Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic to name a few.
This transfer window, they have already engineered big money deals for Leroy Sane and Miralem Pjanic. With Manchester City retainiing an interest in Kalidou Koulibaly, they are expected to benefit further before the transfer window shuts.
#4 Kia Joorabchian
The 49-year-old Kia Joorabchian has been one of the most active player agents of late. He has brokered several high-profile transfers over the past few seasons and has some top footballers as clients.
Joorabchian and his Media Sport Investment Limited were behind Carlos Tevez's infamous transfers- first from West Ham to Manchester United and then from Manchester United to Manchester City.
Joorabchian is now the sole director of Sports Invest UK Limited and retains some of the biggest names in Europe. A few of them are Philippe Coutinho, Sergio Reguilon, Willian, Andreas Pereira and Laywin Kurzawa.
Coutinho is Barcelona's most expensive signing. Sergio Reguilon is all set to depart Real Madrid after a successful loan stint at Sevilla. Willian recently moved to Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain recently extended Kurzawa's contract.
Guess who made a lot of money from all these deals. If you guessed Kia Joorabchian, you are right.
#3 Mino Raiola
Perhaps the most infamous of the lot, Mino Raiola has been nearly synonymous with high-profile transfers for a while now. Raiola is known for representing some of the biggest personalities in football today and had recently invoked the ire of Manchester United fans for constantly linking Pogba with a move away from the club.
Mino Raiola has benefitted greatly from the journeyman life of one of his high-profile clients. That man is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Even today, he continues to represent some big names.
Some of Mino Raiola's clients are Paul Pogba, Erling Haaland, Matthijs De Ligt, Marco Verratti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mario Balotelli, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Matuidi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
#2 Jonathan Barnett (Stellar Football Ltd)
Jonathan Barnett is the founder and chairman of Stellar Football Limited which is one of the most prominent player representation agencies in the world. Barnett represents some really young and promising players in Europe.
He recently brokered Ben Chilwell's move from Leicester City to Chelsea. Another one of his big clients, Jack Grealish, is being courted by Manchester United. Barnett also represents Real Madrid rebel Gareth Bale and would have pocketed a lot of money as commission after brokering one of the most lucrative wage packages in the world for the Welshman.
Some of his other high-profile clients are Saul Niguez, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Ibrahima Konate, Maxi Gomez, Jordan Pickford, Kieren Tierney, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dean Henderson, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dan James among many others.
#1 Jorge Mendes (Gestifute)
Perhaps the biggest name among the football agents, Jorge Mendes' Gestifute manages a lot of footballing superstars. Mendes is a super agent and has a stellar client list that includes Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mendes has managed some of the biggest names in football and he has been doing that for years now and has been influential in bringing several Portuguese players to the Premier League of late as well.
His client list includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Ederson, Fabinho, Ruben Neves, Nelson Semedo, Joao Cancelo, Angel Di Maria, Ruben Dias, James Rodriguez, Diego Jota, Diego Costa, Renato Sanchez and Nicolas Otamendi among many others.
Not only has Jorge Mendes brokered some of the most lucrative transfer deals of the past decade, he is also well connected and on good terms with the biggest clubs in the world. As such, his growing influence will garner him more high-profile clients. After all, his players are some of the highest paid ones in the world.
