Mino Raiola is one of the most famous agents in world football, with his business with Paul Pogba among the most covered of the transfers the agent has arranged and tried to arrange.
Taking Pogba away from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2012, the agent took the midfielder back to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016, and in the process earned commission which some have reported was as high as €20m.
There’s the probability of another huge pay day on the way, with Pogba’s contract expiring next summer. Either the Frenchman will renew with Manchester United, for which Raiola will surely require a big payment from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, or he’ll walk out as a free agent… another guarantee of a big bonus on the way.
Fans see situations like this and believe agents can’t really lose, and use their power to pressure clubs.
Raiola represents many players, some of whom aren’t quite as famous as Pogba. Two of those are Myron Boadu, of AS Monaco, and Calvin Stengs, who plays for Nice.
The pair have spoken on a Dutch podcast, and backed up their agent, suggesting that fans don’t really understand the nature of his work.
Quoted by Soccernews, in the Netherlands, Stengs said: “He is not there for the club, he is there for his player, and people don’t understand that.”
Boadu added: “They are fans, for example of Ajax. If he comes to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, I think he will get beer thrown at his head. But for a player he gets everything out of the barrel. I don’t think people will understand that.”
Stengs added that he sees Raiola as “like a teddy bear”, and Boadu insisted it’s important to have a good agent, saying: “It’s also about guidance. Agents can have a negative influence on what you do and you are the one who gets criticised and is left with the bad luck.”
