Mino Raiola Discusses Paul Pogba, Mario Balotelli, More
Mino Raiola has revealed it took two years to put a deal in place to send Paul Pogba back to Manchester United and make the French midfielder the world's most expensive player. Raiola also admitted he may have benefited from the deal, something common before third-party ownership of players was banned by FIFA in 2015.
In a wide-ranging interview, the super agent also admitted he takes some responsibility for the chequered career of one of his most controversial clients, Nice striker Mario Balotelli, admitting he never should have let the Italian leave Manchester City.
Raiola spoke to Simon Kuper of the Financial Times about a host of topics, from his early life to his start as an agent. But the most significant details emerged whenever the 48-year-old discussed his method of working, best revealed through recounting some of his biggest deals, including the one to send Pogba back to United in the summer for a world-record fee.
Looking back at the process, Raiola revealed how long it took to put everything in place:
"Look, Pogba could have gone to all the top clubs. But Real Madrid had just won the Champions League. He’d have been a trophy player there. Barcelona — their three trophies are Messi, Neymar and Suarez. What you see is the final result of years of sculpting. I spent two years working on Manchester United’s deal with Paul.
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Part of the reason for the protracted deliberations may have been Raiola's insistence United provide Pogba with the right framework to succeed. In this case, the agent demanded the presence of one of his veteran clients, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, alongside Pogba in the red half of Manchester.
Raiola stated his belief in how Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial, two big-money young talents, were put under too much pressure to push United back to glory by themselves. He was determined to ensure Pogba had stronger support and guidance:
"Martial and Depay come in and say, ‘We have to carry Manchester United, a giant institute?’ So already last year I told the people at United, ‘You’ll have to put in a guy like Zlatan to restore the balance.’ Then the attention goes to Zlatan. He has the experience, and dares take the responsibility.
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One other factor favourable in the United and Pogba deal was Raiola's relationship with Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho. The agent admitted the pair didn't always see eye to eye when the Portuguese coach was in charge at Serie A side Inter Milan: “I knew Mourinho from Inter, and there we’d had a bad relationship. I’d said things in the newspaper. But I think Mourinho is intelligent enough to understand what I do."
Yet Raiola hasn't always been on such civil terms with decision-makers at Old Trafford.
He revealed how exchanges between himself and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson were tense and hostile when Raiola was advising Pogba against signing a new contract with the club back in 2012: "Raiola: This is an offer that my chihuahuas—I have two chihuahuas—don’t sign. Ferguson: What do you think he needs to earn? Raiola: Not that. Ferguson: You’re a t--t."
Yet perhaps the most controversial portion of the interview involved Raiola's answers to questions about the level of fiscal compensation he received from Pogba's return to United.
The agent admitted it isn't only the clubs who make money from this type of transfer. However, when pressed for details, Raiola couched his next answer in more legal grounding: “I have to see how I can phrase this in a way that Juventus cannot tackle me through the law, let’s say. Hmm. How can I say it? [Long pause.] Yes: in this deal Juventus was not the only owner of the player’s rights.”
Kuper responded by pointing out how third-party ownership (TPO) has been outlawed by world football's governing body. Specifically, the practice of outside parties benefiting from players' rights.
Raiola answered by detailing how FIFA only made their ruling in 2015, seeming to imply this came after any alleged arrangement between the agent and Pogba. He even admitted to "sometimes" owning stakes in his clients.
However, when asked specifically about Pogba, Raiola was more cautious: “It’s not TPO. Be careful with the legal definition of TPO. But let’s say that in that case there was an upside for our side. And by our side, I mean the player’s side.”
The player's former club certainly believes Raiola benefited from the sale of Pogba. Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has even stated to shareholders of the Turin club how the agent received as much as €27 million from the deal, according to Football-Italia.net.
Away from Pogba, Raiola questioned the motivation of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, a client Kuper referred to as "Raiola's greatest failure."
The agent tried to pinpoint where it's gone wrong for the Italian: “Balotelli has chosen, unconsciously or consciously, not to put football in the middle of his life."
Getting more specific, Raiola blamed himself for sending the attacker away Premier League side City and back to AC Milan: "A big mistake I made in his career was to let him go from Manchester City to Milan, against my advice. I should have said, ‘You succeed with City, that’s it, period. If I’d done that, hard, he would have.”
Raiola is a figure arguably even more controversial than Balotelli. His influence on the modern game runs deep, particularly in the psyche of players determined to get maximum value from their talent and their careers.
Fans may see Raiola and the super agents as the root of the inflating transfer fees and sky-high wages paid to today's stars. Yet Raiola, who paints a picture of himself as a powerful influence at every club his clients are represented, would likely view those factors as proof of his competency at his job.
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