One of the brightest stars of European soccer, agent Mino Raiola, passed away quietly a few nights ago. The news was announced by his family with sadness, at the age of 54, Raiola had been suffering from health problems for a long time, and earlier this year he was hospitalized for 10 days after surgery. Reporters had misinformed him of his death, but he responded with humor, claiming that he had resurrection magic and had come back from the dead four times.
However, as fate would have it, Raiola passed away shortly after. Shortly after the news of his passing was posted on Twitter, news broke that one of his top stars, Ibe, had rushed to the hospital and another one of his players, Mario Balotelli, took to social media to express his support for Raiola, whose passing seemed to signal that his long term health problems had finally come to an end.
Raiola is one of the most influential agents in soccer today, known for his business savvy and strong negotiating skills. He represents a star-studded roster of players, both established and up-and-coming, and Raiola is always able to secure the most lucrative contracts for them.
Looking back at Raiola's career, he made his first independent move for Nedved in 1996, bringing the Czech star from Sparta Prague to Lazio in Serie A. Raiola's youth and insight at the time was impressive, and Nedved's rapid rise to prominence at Lazio was a reflection of Raiola's vision.
Another important deal for Raiola was the transfer of King Ibe. Having met Ibe during his time at Ajax, Raiola managed to convince Ibe to become his client, and his strict demands and coaching helped Ibe to become a disciplined player, which is why he was able to maintain his high level of performance until the age of 40.
Ibe has traveled to all the major European giants including Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United with the help of Raiola. They developed a deep friendship throughout their careers, and Ibe has said many times that he wouldn't be where he is today without Raiola.
Raiola's list of agents also includes the likes of Balotelli, Pogba, Harland, Derek De Rijnstedt and Donnarumma, with Romelu Lukaku also having been a client. The most successful deal of his career was undoubtedly Pogba's move to Manchester United, for which he earned a $26.4 million commission, and Raiola's negotiating skills and influence have left many teams in awe of him.
With Raiola's passing, the soccer world has lost a legend who will always be remembered for his business acumen and negotiation skills. His passing also makes us cherish the stars he worked with, whose success would not have been possible without Raiola's hard work.
