By: EFE Updated 11 Apr 2022, 13: 54 pm EDT
The life of Mino Raiola, who passed away at 54 years old, has the air of an epic. His career started from scratch as the son of Italian immigrants in the Netherlands but, later, he would be crowned as the soccer superagent, closing the most notorious signings and pocketing mythical and exorbitant commissions.
The well-known businessman (Nocera Inferiore, 1967) he had been admitted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan (north) and had been in serious condition for days after a long, unspecified illness.
Raiola was one of the most powerful soccer representatives on the planet, known for his tenacious negotiating skills and for having closed some of the most notorious contracts of recent times.
His last stripe was the Norwegian striker for Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland, wanted by all the big clubs on the continent, such as Madrid or FC Barcelona.
FOOTBALL IS IN MOURNING. Unfortunately, Mino Raiola, one of the most important and recognized agents in the world, passed away. Representative of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland, Pogba, Verratti, Donnarumma, De Ligt and El Chucky Lozano.
RIP. Mino Raiola (1967-2022). pic.twitter.com/UypqLNeThf
— Undefeated (@InvictosSomos) April 30, 2022
His father, a Neapolitan mechanic, opened an Italian food restaurant which he named “Napoli” and where Raiola started working with just 11 years, serving pasta and pizza dishes.
Between the tables of the place, quickly popularized in the Dutch city, the young Mino served as a waiter, striking up conversations with the most disparate diners and acquiring, even without knowing it, the gift of people and the sense of smell that would characterize him.
With only 20 years, Raiola founded his brokerage company, “Intermezzo ”, sending Dutch players in their native country. His first operations were the transfer of Dennis Bergkamp from Ajax to Inter Milan in 1967 or the signing of Bryan Roy for Foggia.
Many would arrive soon other contracts and the start-up of a machinery that would make him a millionaire, imposing throughout the negotiations succulent commissions for his work and for the signing bonuses of the players whom he represented.
His notoriety was consecrated with the signing of the most famous soccer players in the world. For example, he made Zlatan Ibrahimovic get a contract above 10 million euros in 2006 with Inter and, three years later, favored his landing at Barça.
Other big names would end up under his protection, such as Mario Balotelli, who in August 2010 took Manchester City from Inter Milan and in August 2014 to Liverpool.
Mino Raiola has passed away. His family has officially announced the death of the charismatic and well-known soccer player agent.
Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/hcQyanrqug
— Manu Heredia (@ManuHeredia21) April 30, 2022
Or the Frenchman Paul Pogba, for whom he closed in 2012 a record operation for the Italian “calcium”, his transfer to Juventus from Manchester United for more than 100 million dollars, taking home a whopping 27 millions of euros for its mediation.
In the world of Hispanic soccer, Héctor Moreno represented the Mexicans, a center back who played for Espanyol (2011-2015) or the Royal Society (2018-2021), or Hirving Lozano, who from 2017 played for PSV and two years later signed for Napoli.
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