Mino Raiola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mino Raiola
Raiola in 1994
Born	Carmine Raiola (1967-11-04)4 November 1967 Nocera Inferiore, Italy
Died	30 April 2022(2022-04-30) (aged 54) Milan, Italy
Occupation	Football agent
Years active	1992–2022

Carmine "Mino" Raiola (born November 4, 1967 – died April 30, 2022) was a famous Italian-Dutch football agent. He was well-known for representing many top football players. Some of his famous clients included Pavel Nedvěd, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Paul Pogba, and Erling Haaland.

Mino Raiola started his career in the Netherlands in 1992. He had moved there as a child. He helped Dutch players move to Italian football clubs in Serie A. After starting his own company, he became a very successful "super-agent." He was involved in many of the biggest and most expensive player transfers in football history. Players often saw him as someone who always got the best deals for them. However, some club owners and managers found him difficult to work with.

Early Life and Beginnings

Mino Raiola was born in 1967 in Nocera Inferiore, a town in southern Italy. When he was one year old, his family moved to Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands. His father opened a chain of pizzerias there. Mino spent his younger years helping in the family business. He started by washing dishes and later became a waiter.

Because he spoke Dutch better than his father, he began helping with the business. He advised his father and helped organize things. He also finished high school and studied law at university for two years. He later said his law studies were not very useful for him. He also played football for the youth team of HFC Haarlem. At age 18, he stopped playing and became the head of the youth team. Later, he became the club's technical director.

Becoming a Football Agent

After playing and working as a club manager for a short time, Raiola stayed in football. He became a football agent. He first worked for a company called Sports Promotions. He helped several Dutch players move to Italian clubs. These players included Bryan Roy and Dennis Bergkamp.

Bryan Roy and Michel Kreek, two players he helped, praised Raiola. They said he helped them settle into their new lives. He even helped them with everyday things like opening bank accounts and buying cars. While working with Bryan Roy, Raiola met his future wife. He also became friends with a football manager named Zdeněk Zeman.

Starting His Own Agency

Mino Raiola later decided to start his own business. In 1995, a new rule called the Bosman ruling changed football. This rule allowed players whose contracts had ended to move to new clubs without a transfer fee. This made player transfers and contracts much more important. Because of this, football agents became more needed than ever.

Raiola's first big independent transfer was for Pavel Nedvěd. Nedvěd moved from Sparta Prague to S.S. Lazio after playing well in a big tournament. The manager at Lazio was his friend, Zdeněk Zeman. Raiola later helped Nedvěd move to Juventus FC in 2001. Nedvěd went on to win a major award called the Ballon d'Or in 2003. Raiola also managed many transfers for Zlatan Ibrahimović. These transfers made Ibrahimović one of the most expensive players in history.

In 2016, Raiola helped arrange the world record transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United. He earned a lot of money from this deal. He later bought a house in Miami. Raiola also worked with other agents to create a group called "The Football Forum." This group wanted to improve how football works and change some rules set by FIFA.

His Reputation in Football

Mino Raiola was known as a "super-agent." He was one of the most famous agents in football. His involvement in big transfers made him almost as famous as his clients. People often said he was one of the richest and most powerful agents in the sport.

He was a strong negotiator and always defended his clients. He sometimes used the media to speak out against people who criticized his players. For example, he had disagreements with managers like Pep Guardiola. However, many players trusted him completely. They knew he would fight hard for their best interests.

Raiola was sometimes called the "pizza-maker." This nickname came from his early days helping in his father's pizzeria. People sometimes underestimated him because of his appearance. However, he was very smart and worked incredibly hard. Despite his success, he lived a simple life. His office in Monte Carlo was not luxurious and had only a few employees.

Personal Life and Passing

Mino Raiola lived in Monaco with his family. He was very good at languages and spoke seven different ones. These included Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Dutch.

In early 2022, Raiola had some health issues and was admitted to a hospital in Milan. Sadly, Mino Raiola passed away on April 30, 2022, at the age of 54. His family released a statement confirming his death.

Selection of Past Clients

Images for kids

• 

  Raiola in 1994

See also

In Spanish: Mino Raiola para niños