How Super Agent Mino Raiola's Death Will Impact Football's Biggest Names

Mino Raiola, football's super agent, passed away on Saturday. The Italian was among the most powerful voices in the sport, having negotiated transfer deals worth millions of some of the biggest names in the game.

For nearly three decades, Mino Raiola represented some of the finest players in Europe - from Pavel Nedved to Mario Balotelli, Dennis Bergkamp, to Paul Pogba, Erling Haaland, Ryan Gravenberch, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in recent days.

But what happens to his elite clientele - will they stay with his company or part ways with the super agent's organisation, which was until now managed by Raiola, his family members, and friends who have been through his thick and thin for decades?

According to Forbes, Raiola had amassed a wealth of $84.7 million through commissions from negotiating transfer deals for high-profile footballers from around the world.

During the course of his long career, he was involved in deals worth as much as $847.7 million and that's how one can understand the deep impact his death will have in football.

One of the superstars who could be deeply affected by his death is Haaland. For months, the Norwegian has been linked with a move to Man City, but nothing has been finalised as yet, at least on paper.

As Raiola's health had been on a downward spiral since January, he couldn't negotiate his transfer to City and that's the prime reason why the Borussia Dortmund star is yet to trigger the release clause in his contract there.

According to German newspaper Bild, Haaland's negotiations will now be done by Raiola's lawyer and trusted lieutenant Rafaela Pimienta.

On the other hand, other super agents like Jorge Mendes, who manages the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea, Diego Costa, and James Rodriguez, are planning to take advantage of Raiola's death and poach some of his clients.

Meanwhile, some players have already decided to split with Raiola's firm. Last week, Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram became the first footballer associated with the Italian agent to switch agencies, as he went on to sign for Sport Cover.

Raiola's Monaco-based company is a close-knit family business. Besides the super agent himself, it was managed by his son Mario, cousin Vincenzo, his lawyer and business partner Pimienta, media officer Enrica Tarchi, and his close confidante Jose Fortes Rodriguez.

As per the publication, these men and women will now run the organisation, with Pimienta and Vincenzo leading the show, but whether or not they will achieve the same kind of success Raiola did remains to be seen.

Raiola, known as a tough negotiator in footballing circles, had a knack for inflating the market value of his clients.

One such example quoted by several media houses is Pogba's 2017 deal with Man United. While the Red Devils paid $116 million to Juventus for the midfielder's transfer, Raiola reportedly earned a staggering $20 million in commission for this deal alone.