Raiola was loved by his clients and made himself a lot of money, but the influence of agents in remains at best mixed for the game.
In the end, he died as he lived: bullish to his final breath and shrouded in controversy. At a human level, the death of Mino Raiola at the age of 54 is obviously a tragedy, and a sobering reflection upon how fragile life can be. And that shouldn’t be forgotten as we pause to reflect upon his life. But he was also one of the most divisive figures in one of the most divisive part of football’s universe, and that cannot be ignored either.
Even his actual passing had an air of hyperreality. His death was first reported in the Italian press early on Thursday morning, only to be contradicted by a tweet from Raiola’s official account which read: ‘Current health status for the ones wondering: pissed off second time in four months they kill me. Seem also able to resuscitate.’ Later the same day, Jose Fortes Rodriguez, a close colleague, told reporters that “he’s in a bad position, but he hasn’t died”. But on Saturday afternoon, his death was confirmed; this time the confirmation came from his official Twitter account and there have been no subsequent contradictions.
Raiola inspired polarised opinions and this is hardly surprising. In one respect, he fitted a stereotype: overweight, usually wearing shades and jogging bottoms, seldom (if ever) seen in a suit, and more often than not with a mobile phone pressed to the side of his face. And he was famously abrasive, with a tendency to berate anybody who got in the way of him negotiating the best deal possible for his clients or those who criticised him. He certainly seemed plenty aware of this perception. When he decided to purchase a property in Miami, he spent €9m on the former home of Al Capone.
But he also polarised opinion because he was amongst the most successful agents, at least in terms of making himself a lot of money. It’s always been the case that the transfer…
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