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There are a few agents in the world that have seen their influence on football as a business grow leaps and bounds over the last decade or two. Mino Raiola is most certainly one such agent. The Italian-born Dutch football agent is as notorious as they come and has a history of being outspoken.
Raiola has gotten into public spats with several notable football figures, most recently with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and has a frosty relationship with Manchester United after several disputes largely with regard to French superstar Paul Pogba.
United were involved in a number of deals that featured the involvement of Raiola including that of the Frenchman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, and were vying for the services of another one of his clients and one of the most in-demand players in the world, Erling Haaland.
Here, we take a look at an XI featuring some of the superagent's high-profile clients.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Kostas Manolas, Alessio Romagnoli, Kenny Tete
In goal we have Gigi Donnarumma, Italy's crown jewel of a goalkeeper who is also the youngest ever keeper to play for Azzurri. AC Milan's 21-year-old star is one of the highest-rated goalkeepers among the pool of promising keepers in his age bracket. Donnarumma was subject to a lot of speculation when Milan were banned from participating in the UEFA Europa League due to Financial Fair Play breaches, and Raiola was at the heart of a potential transfer away.
Kostas Manolas recently got his move to Napoli for an estimated €36m where he partners arguably the best centre-half in the league in Kalidou Koulibaly. The Greek international has been a rock for AS Roma for nearly five years but left the capital regular UEFA Champions League participation, and was unsurprisingly linked with the Red Devils.
AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli is another Raiola client who has constantly made transfer headlines and Chelsea famously had a couple of bids rejected for the Italian 2 summers ago. The 25-year-old has played 100% of Milan's league campaign so far.
Kenny Tete is a full-back by trade but has slotted in seamlessly all across the backline. The Olympique Lyon man has made 18 top-flight appearances this season.
Midfield
Marco Verratti, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi
In what is a midfield that could hypothetically dominate games should they play together in real life, Raiola represents some of the biggest names in the world at the moment. Manchester United star Paul Pogba was brought back to the club after leaving on a free a few years ago for a world-record fee of €105m, a move which was overseen by Raiola.
The notorious superagent currently appears to be orchestrating an exit from Old Trafford for his client. Marco Verratti has established himself as one of the premier central midfielders in Europe and can be a very destructive player at his best. He has been the bedrock of Paris Saint-Germain's midfield for a few years now.
Blaise Matuidi is a seasoned veteran who has won trophies aplenty wherever he has gone. The Juventus man is also a World Cup winner with France and the 32-year-old is a multiple-time league winner in both Ligue 1 and Italy.
Attack
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland, Lorenzo Insigne, Justin Kluivert
Arguably one of the greatest players to have never won the Champions League, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a successful journeyman and is one of the most decorated players in the 21st century. The Swede has reasserted his admiration for Raiola several times and the agent and the AC Milan striker share a great relationship.
Erling Haaland has had one of the most electrifying seasons in recent memory and has stormed his way to 40 goals in the 2019/20 season in just 30 games. After lots of speculation regarding his next move, Borussia Dortmund sealed his signature and the Norwegian is ripping apart the Bundesliga.
Lorenzo Insigne is a fan-favourite at the San Paolo Stadium and will go down as one of Napoli's greatest ever players. He is one of the most experienced players at Gennaro Gattuso's disposal and is one of Raiola's most notable clients. He also represents Insigne's other colleagues including Hirving Lozano and Manolas. Justin Kluivert's €18.75 move from AS Roma was brokered by Raiola and is one of his most valuable young clients due to his high ceiling.
