‘Super agent’ Mino Raiola dies aged 54
Mino Raiola, one of the most high-profile agents in football, has died after suffering with illness since January.
Typically, for a figure who divided opinion throughout his career in football, Raiola’s death was fraught with controversy. On Thursday, April 28, multiple sources reported that the agent had passed away, only for him to directly respond to the reports by tweeting that he was still alive. Two days later though, a statement from his family confirmed that he had since passed away.
Born in Italy but raised in the Netherlands, Raiola cultivated a reputation as one of the most prominent yet divisive agents in football. Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson insisted that he would never deal with him again after Paul Pogba’s departure from Old Trafford in 2012.
Yet to his clients Raiola was a mentor and hero. Erling Haaland and Matthijs de Ligt, for instance, both posted tributes on social media, with the former describing him as “the best”.
Both Pogba and Haaland are set for high-profile moves this summer, with the Frenchman out of contract at Manchester United and Manchester City reportedly close to agreeing a deal for the Norway striker. Both players – as well as the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku and Gianluigi Donnarumma – will now have to decide their futures without Raiola’s counsel.