Contrary to popular
opinion, football agents do not necessarily epitomize everything that is wrong
with the sport today. From a fan’s perspective, an agent appears to be a
cynical, acquisitive and Machiavellian human being obstinately determined to
siphon as much money as possible from his clients.
Which may be
true in some cases, but it does not incorporate the good, and may I add
imperative benefits they provide to their clients.
From managing a player’s
taxes, endorsements and retirement policies to providing counsel on choosing
the right football club, with the right manager and more importantly, the right
ambition, an agent and his player’s relationship is sometimes so close knit, it
appears to come straight out of an 80’s sitcom. Alright, not the best of
references, but you get the idea.
When you
talk about agents, two names pop into your minds without you even trying to
imagine them: Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola.
Famous for
being in charge of some of the best players in the world, the two distinguished
figures in the game are arguably the most powerful entities of their
trade.
And as you
wonder who has the better guns in his arsenal, we take a look at two teams
consisting only of the players these gentlemen represent. Let’s roll!
Mino Raiola
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| Mino Raiola |
This
47-year-old Italian-born dutch agent first came into prominence when he
successfully assisted the transfer of two AFC Ajax players, former dutch
international Wim Jonk and Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp, to Italian
heavyweights Inter Milan.
Raiola’s
first globally recognized footballer was Juventus legend Pavel Nedved, who
after an impeccable show for Czech Republic at the 1996 UEFA European
Championship, moved to Lazio from Sparta Prague. Raiola personally oversaw and
handled the dealings for his client.
Nearly two
decades later, the Dutchman holds the reins of a horde of world class players
including Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juventus
midfielder Paul Pogba.
The Raiola
XI:
Goalkeeper:
Sergio Romero (Manchester United)
Defenders:
Gregory van der Wiel (Paris Saint-Germain), Bartosz Salamon (Sampdoria),
Rodrigo Ely (AC Milan), Maxwell (Paris Saint-Germain)
Midfielders:
Paul Pogba (Juventus), Marek Hamsik (Napoli), Blaise Matuidi (Paris
Saint-Germain), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards:
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain)
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| The Raiola XI |
Jorge Mendes:
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| Jorge Mendes |
Portuguese
super agent Jorge Mendes once ran a video rental store. Today he is the founder
and head of GestiFute, a football agency firm who have 58 professional players
in their books who play in the best leagues of Europe and the rest of the
world.
According to calculations, Mendes, as of September of 2014,
negotiated a gargantuan sum of £1,068,370,548 through his dealings in football
transfers as an agent.
The
48-year-old is described as a ‘fair and honest man’ by one of his clients, a
certain Cristiano Ronaldo, who served as best man in Mendes’s wedding earlier
this year. Not to forget, Ronaldo gifted his beloved agent an island, yes, a
real island, as a wedding gift. Remember my 80’s sitcom reference from earlier?
Change that to a deleted subplot from 1985’s Brewster’s Millions.
The Mendes
XI:
Goalkeeper:
David de Gea (Manchester United)
Defenders:
Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Real
Madrid), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City)
Midfielders:
William Carvalho (Inter Milan), Joao Moutinho (AS Monaco), James Rodriguez
(Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real
Madrid)
Forwards:
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
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| The Mendes XI |
There it is! So, who do you believe would win a game between these two?
Leave your answers in the comments below.
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