Agents in Modern Football

Agents in Modern Football

The role of an agent in modern football has evolved. One of the principal roles of football agents is to aid players get the best possible deal when signing a new contract. Football agents have many duties and responsibilities towards their clients and football clubs.

These individuals have the resposibility of behaving ethically and loyally towards their client, while trying to locate new clubs that could be interested in signing them. It is essential that agents keep their clients informed about what is happening behind the scenes and that players have the final word in the outcome of any one negotiation in progress.

Agents that care for their clients also try to pay special attention to them and attempt to improve their skills on and off the field. For example, some agents may hire language teachers for their clients. This will facilitate communication with future and present colleagues and coaches, especially when their native tongue is different from markets that they want to be transferred to. Many players have a hard time adapting in England, for example, due to the fact that they do not speak English. This is an obstacle difficult to surpass if you do not have a teacher helping you along the way. Other agents may hire teams that run social media accounts and their press relations. Some even hire psychiatrists to help players improve their concentration and hence improve their performance.

The truth is that agents are becoming increasingly famous due to huge deals that have made headlines around the world. Jorge Mendes is probably one of the most famous agents in the world, with Cristiano Ronaldo being his main client. He brokered the deal from Man United to Real Madrid for a then record fee of 96M€. Other famous agents in football include names such as Pini Zahavi, Nelio Lucas or Mino Raiola who have also been known to make enormous deals between clubs, as well as for their clients. It is not uncommon for many of these agents to have social media accounts on Instagram, for example, and seeing them post of photos on yachts and private jets with other similarly rich and famous people.

The role of football agents has become increasingly important over the past twent or so years. Many football fans perceive agents as parasites that bring nothing positive to football, but whether people like it or not, agents are indeed an integral part of football. FIFA (the world football governing body) has become aware of the increasing influence that these individuals have over club owners and footballers alike and has created rules and regulations that limit their business activity. Unfortunately, these rules and regulations merely act as small obstacles in the way of a good deal, rather than actual barriers that keep agents in check. In every transfer season, we see different innovations by agents, as well as club owners, that are used to circumvent the rules and regulations by FIFA.

In conclusion, the role of the football agent is an important one and has suffered many changes throughout the years. It is important to be aware of these changes so that their actions are always in line with the positive spirit of football.

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