Mino Raiola has died this Saturday after the Italian press took his death for granted, as he was in a very serious state of health. Through a statement, the family of the football superstar has announced his death at the age of 54. Raiola was admitted to a hospital in Milan, where he underwent surgery this January and his health had deteriorated in recent days. Thursday media com The Gazzetta dello Sport o The Corriere della Sera they had reported his death, but he, his family, and his agency denied it. Her health was so poor that three days later, her family reported her death.
Raiola was a well-known representative in the world of football. In fact, Norwegian Erling Haaland, one of the most sought-after strikers on the market, was in his football portfolio. The story of Raiola’s professional career is very curious. He started meeting footballers when he was 18 and was making pizzas at the restaurant his father had opened in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The son of a family from southern Italy who emigrated, Raiola softly worked with his father while playing football without much luck. From what he himself had explained, at the age of 21 he was seriously injured and decided to stop playing to move to the offices, and became part of the Haarlem board.
Ambitious like few others, at the age of 24 he contacted the controversial president of Naples Maradona, Corrado Ferlaino, to propose a business: that he invest in Haarlem and in return sign all the young talents of Dutch football. Ferlaino did not accept the deal, but Raiola took the opportunity to learn and make contacts. Taking advantage of the fact that he spoke Italian, Raiola opened a bridge between the Netherlands and Serie A bringing Bryan Roy from Ajax to Foggia in 1992. Shortly afterwards he did his first big business, when he had much of the responsibility in the transfer. of Bergkamp from Ajax to Inter. He had met the player in 1992, when Ferlaino had asked him to help him sign him. The operation did not go ahead, but it allowed Raiola to gain Bergkamp’s trust.
A long list of representatives
From then on he carried a long list that included men such as Ibrahimovic, Donnarumma, Maxwell, Nedved, Mario Balotelli, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the dreamed-of European midfielder Haaland. In fact, until recently he was personally negotiating with clubs that wanted the Norwegian striker. The Pizzaiolo, as he was known, he built an empire and negotiated many times with Barça.
