Who is Mino Raiola? The 'super agent' representing Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Haaland & more

Mino Raiola is one of the most powerful figures in football, responsible for handling stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Erling Haaland and, in the past, Romelu Lukaku.

Most of his work is conducted behind the scenes, but he has a significant influence in the transfer market and has a glowing roster of some of the most elite names in the sport.

But who exactly is Raiola, what does he do and who are his clients? GOAL takes a look.

Who is Mino Raiola?

Raiola is a so-called 'super agent', who represents a number of high profile footballers.

Past and present clients of his include the aforementioned Ibrahimovic, De Ligt, Pogba and Lukaku as well as the likes of Mario Balotelli, Hirving Lozano, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Moise Kean, Blaise Matuidi and Lorenzo Insigne.

Born in Italy but raised in the Netherlands, Raiola got his career to a start by expanding his parents' restaurant business.

Having not had the chops to make it as a professional footballer himself, Raiola was appointed Haarlem's sporting director at just 19 years of age after the club was so impressed by his entrepreneurial skills.

Following his time at Haarlem, he moved into work at sports agent company Sports Promotions and assisted in the transfers of high-profile Dutch footballers to Italian clubs, including Ajax player Bryan Roy (to Foggia in 1992), Marciano Vink (to Genoa in 1993), Wim Jonk and Dennis Bergamp (to Inter in 1993) and Michel Kreek (to Padua in 1994).

Shortly after, he decided to leave the sports agency to form his own business, with his first major course of action overseeing the transfer of Pavel Nedved from Sparta Prague to Lazio following his stellar performance at Euro 1996.

Raiola speaks seven languages in Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch.

What is a 'super agent'?

In football, a super agent is the term used to describe someone who is extremely effective at their job and are able to earn a salary of millions, wielding considerable power and influence in the market.

Acting as the intermediary who handles the business between a club and a player, agents are required to negotiate contracts and salary, oversee lucrative sponsorship deals, organise media appearances and provide journalists with interview access.

Agents such as Raiola boast comprehensive client profiles that include the most influential stars and the biggest earners in the sport. Raiola's roster and reputation, as well as his negotiation skills and contacts, marks him out as a powerful individual for clubs to deal with.

He closed the then world-record transfer of Pogba to Manchester United in 2016 while also making a profitable return himself, pocketing a reported €25 million (£22m) for the France international's €105m (£92m/$117m) move.

What is Mino Raiola's net worth?

According to Forbes, Raiola had a net worth of $85 million (£68m) in 2020.

As an agent for such high-profile clients, he has has a habit of landing himself in headlines and, in August 2018, publicly tweeted his defence of Pogba, who at the time was the subject of criticism from former Manchester United player Paul Scholes.

"Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten," wrote Raiola. "Paul Scholes wouldn't recognise a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill."

He has used his Twitter page as a means to hit back at media reports, including the time he was erroneously reported as having died in 2022.

You can read Goal's in-depth guide to football super agents here.

Which players does Mino Raiola represent?

Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba and Gianluigi Donnarumma are among the most high profile players represented by Raiola. He has represented figures such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the past and maintains a strong relationship with the Swede.

*Selected clients only