Who is Mino Raiola: The Super-agent Behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Paul Pogba?

It’s official now - Sweden’s all-time top scorer and former PSG, Juventus, Ajax & Barcelona superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed for Jose Mourinho’s new Manchester United. After a protracted transfer saga that spilled over into his ultimately unsuccesful Euro 2016 campaign, the Swedish stalwart signed, to much social media fanfare.

But who negotiated one of the 2016/17 summer transfer window’s biggest deals? Meet Mino Raiola – the man who’s $450 million worth of contracts include the likes of Ibrahimovic, Juventus’ Paul Pogba, ex-Chelsea youngster Romelu Lukaku and new Manchester United winger, Henrik Mkhitaryan!

1.Mino Raiola – Biography

Born in 1967, Carmine ‘Mino’ Raiola is originally from Nocera Inferiore in Salerno, southern Italy. Just one year after his birth, his family made the move to Haarlem in the Netherlands, the place he’d grow up in and eventually call home. The young Mino Raiola displayed his dynamism quite early on, working at his family restaurant (called ‘Napoli’) before starting his own company at the age of 20. He had been a decent footballer, playing for his local club but at 18, he knew he’d never forge a top-level career and hung up his boots.

He’d joined law school by then, so he knew his way around the legal hurdles - just two years later, he joined the board of HFC Haarlem, his hometown club. However, that adventure didn’t last very long. The young Raiola began to forge his own path, first as a player and administrator and then as a budding agent at a player agency called ‘Sports Promotion’ - and that’s when the fun started. His success would know no bounds, as he struck an incredible deal with the Dutch players’ union to represent all of the Netherlands’ footballers!

He got a taste of major international transfers very early on in his work there, negotiating deals involving the movements of Bryan Roy to Foggia & Marciano Vink to Genoa. In 1993, he was part of the team that engineered a big move to Inter Milan for a young Dutchman who neither Arsenal (nor Newcastle) fans will ever forget - Dennis Bergkamp. With the taste for success still teasing his mouth, he left the company and went for it alone - with his 8 language (Italian, Dutch, French, English, German Spanish, Portuguese & Neapolitan), he was always a good bet for that. He eventually started his Tom Cruise film inspired firm, Maguire Tax & Legal.

After the 1996 Euros, that proved to be the right decision, as he struck the deal that took the exciting midfield wizard & Euro finalist Pavel Nedved from Sparta Prague to Lazio. Just 8 years later, he returned to Ajax and snapped up some of their finest local talent including Mido, Maxwell and the young Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The career of a super-agent had begun in earnest.

2. Mino Raiola – Top 10 Biggest Deals

Mino Raiola has shown his acute knowledge of the transfer market, transferring his clients from club-to-club on their whims, negotiating lucrative relationships with major clubs and even hacking deals of players his firm don’t represent. His biggest success story is without doubt Zlatan Ibrahimovic, having taken the big Swede across Europe’s biggest clubs before finally bringing him to Mourinho’s United. However, with over $450 million in transfer, he’s done plenty of other mega-money deals. Here is a breakdown of his top 10 transfer deals:

Robinho	Manchester City	Inter Milan	€15 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Ajax	Juventus	€16 million
Mario Balotelli	Inter Milan	Manchester City	€20 million
Mario Balotelli	AC Milan	Liverpool	€20 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Barcelona	AC Milan	€24 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Juventus	Inter Milan	€24.8 million
Mario Balotelli	Inter Milan	Manchester City	£24 million
Henrik Mkhitaryan	Borussia Dortmund	Manchester United	£26.4 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Inter Milan	Barcelona	€46 million
Pavel Nedved	Lazio	Juventus	€41 million

Read More: All latest major confirmed transfer in EPL, La Liga, Serie A and more...

3. Mino Raiola – Controversy

The life of an agent is never too far from a few dark secrets - so with a super-agent, those can turn into veritable Grand Canyons! Mino Raiola has become a resident wheeler-and-dealer at several clubs, but there are a few places on the planet where the sight of him elicits some serious vein-popping on people’s foreheads!

Although he was allowed to sign several promising youngsters from Ajax in 2004, he surprised everybody when he eloped with their bulky striker (Zlatan Ibrahimovic) to Juventus on the final day of the 2004 summer window. 2 years later, after the Calcipoli trials led to the exposure of several less-than-savoury phone calls, he became a real persona non-grata. Why? This is what he and then Juventus director Luciano Moggi were revealed to have said:

Moggi: "You and Ibra continue to make trouble. Don't send him to training ..."

Raiola: "Tomorrow, I'll keep the player at home all day; he won't show up for training. I then have an appointment with the directors of Ajax at noon, but I'll come at two ..."

Naughty, naughty Mr. Raiola...

3. Mino Raiola – What they say

Sir Alex Ferguson - on Mino Raiola: "I distrusted him from the moment I met him."

                               - on Paul Pogba: “He has got an agent who’s obviously become a bit difficult ...”

Aurelio De Laurentiis (Napoli president) - on Mino Raiola: "He's a pain in the backside, who, for years, has been trying to take Hamsik away."

4. Mino Raiola – What he says

Raiola - on FIFA:”Even a 15-year-old kid knows that the only good thing about FIFA is the video game.”

Raiola - on Sepp Blatter: “If people vote Blatter, they are voting North Korea, if they vote me, they are voting South Korea."

Raiola - on players & clubs: "I think that when a player decides to leave a team he should leave... I have never made compromises”

Raiola - on Mario Balotelli: “I saw him on Monday and said...I’m not taking you away. Either you leave Liverpool for €60m or €70m and I win the bet or you die there’”

Raiola - on Pep Guardiola: “He’s a shitty person but a great coach. Guardiola was the one that brought Ibra to Barcelona and then treated him very badly.”

5. Mino Raiola – A Starting XI of His Biggest Clients

If Mino Raiola were a manager....

Will Lionel Messi go to jail? Explaining the Barcelona star's conviction

Lionel Messi's trial for tax fraud began on May 31st this year and has been the source of great speculation and fear among fans of the little maestro around the world. An offence such as the one Messi has been convicted for, can receive up to two years of jail term.

Messi's father, Jorge, is a co-defendant in the trial and has been present alongside his son for all court appearances. Very recently today, both Lionel and his father have received similar sentences after being convicted of tax fraud to the amount of nearly $4.6 million in unpaid taxes between the years 2007 and 2009.

The verdict passed today sees both accused facing a 21-month jail term

However, it is not as simple as that. The Argentine and Barcelona superstar is faced with an unlikely possibility of spending time behind bars but fortunately, for him, there is a way around it. Spanish law states that any terms under 24 months are subject to suspension if a stipulated fine is paid and it was in the case of a first registered offence by the accused in question. Messi's case and sentencing fulfil both these criteria.

Also read: Lionel Messi testifies in tax fraud 

However, it is not as simple as that. The Argentine and Barcelona superstar is faced with an unlikely possibility of spending time behind bars but fortunately, for him, there is a way around it. Spanish law states that any terms under 24 months are subject to suspension if a stipulated fine is paid and it was in the case of a first registered offence by the accused in question. Messi's case and sentencing fulfil both these criteria.

Also read: Lionel Messi testifies in tax fraud trial

Ever since the emergence of the tax fraud case and the footballer's alleged involvement in it, Messi has maintained that his innocence and the fact that any wrong committed by him was done in ignorance. He added that he signed papers not knowing its contents and that his personal finances are not really handled by him.

While this justification may be true, it is hard to believe a footballer of Lionel Messi's calibre could be so naive when it comes to something as pragmatic and important as his finances which are huge, to put it modestly.

The jail sentence can be evaded if Messi pays a fine of 2 million Euros. For his father, the amount stipulated is 1.5 million euros.

Jorge Messi has repeatedly absolved his son of all wrongdoing. On top of reparations paid to the authorities, the footballer must pay a fine of more than 2.3million Euros as additional charges.

What Lionel Messi's supposed “ignorance” means is that there exist a few documents that show him off-loading his finances and sponsorship deals to third parties in Belize and Uruguay in what seems like an attempt to evade taxes. These documents bear Messi's signature, something he claims to have done without any knowledge of what they said.

Javier Mascherano, Messi's club-mate and former Argentine team-mate, was convicted with a similar sentence of 21 months. Mascherano did not spend any time behind bars and it is highly unlikely that Messi will do so either.

The 29-year old recently announced his retirement from international football after losing out to Chile on penalties in the finals of the Copa America. The defeat meant that Lionel Messi has now captained his national side to four finals and has failed to win all four. This does seem like a truly bad time for the prolific footballer but there is absolutely no doubt that he can bounce back into form in no time. Since he announced his retirement, reports have emerged of him allegedly reconsidering his decision.

BALE: MATCH-WINNER RONALDO A NATURAL GOALSCORER

1. The striker opened the scoring for his nation as they advanced into the final, and his club team-mate could not help but praise his performance after the match
2. Gareth Bale hailed Real Madrid colleague Cristiano Ronaldo as a "natural goalscorer" after he netted in Portugal's 2-0 Euro 2016 semi-final win over Wales.
3. The showdown between the two Madrid heavyweights dominated the pre-match headlines and it was Ronaldo who shone brightest.
4. His powerful 50th-minute header saw him equal Michel Platini's record of nine European Championship goals, with Ronaldo then turning provider – albeit perhaps inadvertently – for Nani's goal three minutes later.
5. And Bale told ITV of his club-mate: "Obviously he's a natural goalscorer and he scored yet again.
6. "But as I said it's not about them, it's about us. We'll pick ourselves up. We're a proud bunch. We have to be proud of what we've achieved in this tournament.
7. "We want to thank all the fans obviously – the support we have had is absolutely incredible."
8. Wales were at least the equal of their opponents in a tight first half and Bale reflected on what he felt were fine margins that decided the outcome.
9. "They got their first goal and were lucky on the second," he added. "We tried our hardest to get back into the game and fought until the last second.
10. "We gave everything. We have no regrets."
11. Fernando Santos' side will meet hosts France or world champions Germany in the final.

PORTUGAL BEAT WALES 2-0

PORTUGAL INTO THE EURO FINALS BEAT WALES 2-0

WATCH   HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE

Transfer news and rumours of the day: 6th July, 2016

     Serie A

                           

Tottenham have been linked to AS Roma star Tony Sanabria in the last few days. The forward spent the last season on loan at Sporting Gijon, and reports suggested Tottenham have been negotiating a deal for him. According to the latest report in Marca, Tottenham are no longer interested in signing Sanabria, as the Serie A club don’t want to sell him. The player could now spend another season on loan in La Liga with Real Betis interested in him.

According to TuttoSport, Manchester City have increased their offer for Torino’s right back Bruno Peres. Torino want €20m for the player, whilst Manchester City have put €18m on the table. A deal could be agreed between both the parties soon.

Juventus are working on a deal to sign Chelsea's Nemanja Matic, reports TuttoSport. It is reported new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte doesn’t see Matic as an important player, and the player has a price tag of €25m.

English Premier League

Moussa Sissoko is looking for a way out after being relegated last season with Newcastle

The future of Newcastle star Moussa Sissoko remains uncertain, as it’s very unlikely he’d want to play in the Championship next season. According to Spanish daily Marca, Arsenal are keen on signing Sissoko, and the player also likes the idea of signing for the Gunners.

Porto star Ruben Neves prefers a move to Manchester United, reports A Bola. The player has been linked with a move to Liverpool and Manchester United in the last few days, and Porto are reportedly keen on selling him to sort out their financial mess.

According to Croatian website tportal, Liverpool have offered €15m for Dinamo Zagreb star Ante Coric. The Croatian club will now discuss the offer from Liverpool, and the Reds might find it difficult to complete a deal.

         La Liga

Luis Alberto was away on loan at Real Sociedad last season

Sevilla are interested in signing Liverpool’s Luis Alberto, reports Radio Sevilla. Liverpool paid €8m to Sevilla for the Spaniard in 2013, and reports suggest the Reds are demanding a similar fee should Sevilla want him back.

Atletico Madrid star Luciano Vietto could be leaving the club this summer for Barcelona, reports Mundo Deportivo. The Catalan giants are looking to sign a young star to support MSN, and are in pole position to sign Vietto.

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid star Toni Kroos, and the player has responded to the rumours. Kroos insists he is very happy at Real Madrid, but he can’t rule out anything.

  Rest of Europe

Ajax defender Mike van de Hoorn has completed his move to Swansea City. The 23-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the option to extend it for another year. "This is the best competition in the world and I'm happy to be in it - I can't wait to start," van der Hoorn said.

Mike vab de Hoorn becomes Swansea’s second signing in as many days

Everton are interested in signing Porto’s Bruno Martins Indi, reports Voetbal Premier. Porto could be interested in selling the Dutchman, and a €10m offer could be enough to convince them.

According to an exclusive on Le 10 Sport, Liverpool are interested in signing Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette, and both clubs are already negotiating. Christian Benteke is on the verge of leaving for Crystal Palace, and that’d allow Liverpool to bid for the Frenchman.

5 FOOTBALLERS WHO WERE SENTENCED TO PRISON

 The decision of a Spanish court to hand a jail sentence to Lionel Messi for a tax fraud has sent shock waves across the globe. The sentencing adds to the misery of the Argentina and Barcelona superstar after the recent loss to Chile in Copa America Centenario finals. While it remains to be seen if he will serve his sentence in jail, it is definitely a sad day in the glorious career of the player.

However, Messi is not the first footballer to come under the scanner of the authorities for the wrong reasons with a number of them being handed a sentence for their offences.

#1 Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona was arrested in 1991 after being caught in possession on half a kilo of cocaine

One of the greatest footballers of all times, Diego Maradona has not been a stranger to controversy. His addiction to drugs and alcohol often made him subject to front page news for the wrong reasons. He was also suspected of having smuggled heinous amounts of drugs and having ties with the notorious Naples Mafia. However, the diminutive magician did not amend his ways and was handed a suspended sentence in 1994  for shooting at journalists with an air rifle.

The journalists who were waiting outside his home Buenos Aires were greeted with gunshots by an angered Maradona which resulted in at least 4 of them being injured.

#2 Tony Adams

Tony Adams had a problem holding his liquor

The former Arsenal man was a rock-solid defender who helped his side win a number of accolades during his playing time. He had already made a mark for the Gunners and was touted to be one of the best defenders in England when the incident took place in 1990.

However, his trouble with Alcohol was well documented amongst the English media and all hell broke loose when he crashed his Ford Sierra into a wall in Rayleigh in 1990. When breathalysed, his blood alcohol level was found to be 4 times over the legal drink-driving limit.

He was sentenced to a jail term of 4 months in December of 1990 by a Southend Crown Court. He returned to the Arsenal set-up within 2 months after being freed and continued to play a vital part in his team success until his retirement. Adams has turned over a new leaf and is now a leading figure in the fight against drug addiction and alcoholism worldwide.

#3 Joey Barton

Joey Barton has been a fiesty character both on and off the field

The Merseyside-born midfielder has been a fiery character on and off the pitch. He was sentenced to six months in prison by Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of assault in Liverpool. Barton was at that time playing for Newcastle and had gotten into a heated argument with a group of teenagers which led to the incident.

The midfielder had already had a drink too many and did not refrain from throwing a number of punches at the teenager, which left him with a broken tooth. This was less than a year after being suspended by his previous employers Manchester City for physically assaulting Ousmane Dabo in training.

He was released after serving less than 3 months in jail, a move which drew a lot of criticism from all quarters. However, like Tony Adams, Barton has straightened himself off the pitch, working with several agencies to help youngsters recover from alcoholism and drug abuse.

#4 Ched Evans

Ched Evans was a highly touted youngster coming out of the Manchester City academy

The case of Ched Evans has been well documented by media worldwide. He was charged on account of raping a 19-year-old in 2012 and was sentenced to 5 years in prison by Caernarfon Crown Court. The former Sheffield United striker, who has maintained his innocence ever since the case came into the limelight was released after serving two and half years in prison.

The player submitted fresh evidence related to the case to Criminal Cases Review Commission, which on considering the evidence provided quashed the conviction ordered a retrial of the case. The retrial is set to begin on 4th October 2016.

The forward has been linked to a number of clubs since his release. However, none of them were able to sign him due to protest from fans, sponsors or management. He recently signed his first contract since being released with League One club Chesterfield on 20th June 2016 .

#5 Adam Johnson

Adam Johnson is currently serving a six-year prison term

Former Manchester City star Adam Johnson was sentenced to 6 years in prison on 24th March 2016 on account of grooming and engaging in illegal activities with a girl aged 15. After the player pleaded guilty to the mentioned charges, Judge Jonathan Rose told him that he had abused a position of trust and had caused his victim severe psychological damage. The court Psychiatrist even went on to claim that he found the 28-year-old to be “socially and psychologically immature”.

Footballers can often be provided demigod status by the fans and it is with great responsibility that they must handle it. However, Johnson, buoyed by his success as a footballer, crossed the line and is currently serving his 6-year sentence at HM Prison Moorland near Doncaster.