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Jonathan Barnett is one of the most influential agents in world football. Agent of Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, Barnett's clients include Atletico Madrid's Saul, Aston Villa's Jack Grealish, and many others.
In an interview with Sport Witness, Barnett talked about his company Stellar Group, as well as about Bale and Real Madrid.
Talking about how he formed the Stellar Group with his friend David Manasseh, Barnett explained how they had started working from a kitchen table.
“We were based in London. It was only the two of us, we worked from a kitchen table and we had no money.
“We started with cricket. We were fortunate to look after cricketers like Brian Lara. Pakistani cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were good to us. That’s how we started.
Stellar Group flourished and soon made its foray into football.
On Bale and the Real Madrid move
Gareth Bale's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of €100 million made headlines.
And Barnett agreed that negotiating with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to allow Bale to go to Real Madrid had not been easy.
“It was hard [negotiating for Bale’s transfer]. One thing about Daniel Levy is he’s very honest and very straight, so I think you don’t mind."
Gareth Bale has been a successful signing for Real Madrid. While the last couple of years have not been kind to the Welshman, there is no arguing that Bale has been an important part of the Real Madrid squad that won the Champions League three times in a row.
Bale has scored 105 goals in 249 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid. It has been rumoured that Bale might leave Real Madrid soon. Barnett, however states that that is not true. According to him, Bale will finish his career at Real Madrid.
Bale has been criticised for his casual attitude during his time at Real Madrid, as well as his apparent inability to speak Spanish. Barnett refuted such claims and laid onto the Spanish journalists for their hostility towards Bale.
“He speaks Spanish very well. Certain journalists, and quite a lot of them in Spain aren’t very good at their job, they don’t study enough and they write for the sake of it."
Barnett discussed another one of his clients, Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish. Grealish has been compared to former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham. And soon, Grealish might very well play for Manchester United, if rumors are to be believed.
“I think Jack has a wonderful future. I think he’s the most fantastic player. He has a great future. It’s all ahead of him. He’s got everything to become a really big star."
Barnett, alongside fellow agents Mino Raiola and Jorge Mendes, are often termed as "super-agents". Mendes and Raiola clients are spread all over Europe, ranging from Barcelona and Real Madrid to big EPL clubs. And Barnett states that he is friendly terms with both Raiola and Mendes.
Further expanding upon Stellar Group, Barnett spoke about future plans regarding his company.
“We [Stellar Group] are not just involved in football, we are involved in other sports. We are in America, where we have NFL business, which is going very nicely, and we also have track and field in America as well."
It will not be a surprise to see Barnett and Stellar Group reach heady heights.
