A statement posted by Raiola’s family on his Twitter account read: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of the most cared for and amazing football player ever. “Mino fought to the end with the same force he put on the negotiating table to defend our players. As usual, Mino made us proud and he never realized it. “Mino touched so many lives through his work and wrote a new chapter in the history of modern football. His presence will be missing forever. Mino’s mission to make football a better place for players will continue with the same passion. . “We thank everyone for the tremendous support we have received in these difficult times and we ask for respect for the privacy of family and friends in this time of grief.” Raiola’s Twitter account said in January that he was undergoing “routine” medical examinations and that he did not need “emergency surgery”. Confirmation from Raiola’s family came two days after false reports of his death were spread. Alberto Zangrillo, head of the anesthesia and intensive care unit at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where Raiola was being treated, said: “ Raiola became famous in the Netherlands and Italy in the 1990s and participated in the deals that made Dennis Bergkamp and Pavel Nedved move to Serie A. Most recently, Raiola helped transfer the then world record of Paul Pogba to Manchester United from Juventus, as well as the transfer of Erling Haland from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund. Image: Erling Haaland was one of Raiola’s most important customers
Raiola’s rise from a pizzeria worker to a super agent
Maybe Roderick Turpijn’s name means little to you. He was a Dutch footballer who made a handful of appearances for Ajax in the 1990s before moving to De Graafschap and retiring from professional play in his twenties. Does not matter. This one transfer had already brought him to life. Turpijn revealed so much on his own account about the deal. In an unusual arbitrariness, his agent had withdrawn from negotiations with De Graafschap – then, as now, an unparalleled Dutch team. He demanded that they match Turpijn’s salary in Ajax. Surprisingly, the club agreed, even dropping bonuses. Impressive work even before you discovered that the figure his agent claimed Turpijn was winning in Ajax was pure fantasy. This agent was Mino Raiola. Mino Raiola’s remarkable rise from a pizzeria worker to a super agent – including knowledge from those who saw his rise – was examined by Sky Sports’ Adam Bate in November last year.
