“Outraged by speculation”
Player advisor Mino Raiola denies reports of his own death
Mino Raiola and his doctor deny death reports
© LiveMedia/Reporter Torino / IPA/ / Picture Alliance
Mino Raiola is one of the most dazzling player agents in football. He is currently working on the future of BVB star Haaland. The news of his death shocked the industry. But then comes the denial from his doctor – and from Raiola himself.
Reports of the death of well-known player agent Mino Raiola briefly caused an uproar in the football world. After international media reported on Thursday that the advisor to many stars, including Borussia Dortmund’s exceptional striker Erling Haaland, had died, a denial quickly followed.
“Current state of health for those who are interested: I’m pissed off that they’re killing me for the second time in four months,” said the 54-year-old Italian’s official Twitter profile. “I seem to be able to resurrect.”
It was not clear whether the dazzling consultant posted the tweet himself. It was the first tweet on the verified account since January; At that time he already contradicted reports that he had undergone emergency treatment in a hospital.
Mino Raiola busy with BVB-Sturmass Haaland
The football world is worried about Raiola and his health. The chief physician at the San Raffaele clinic in Milan, where the consultant is treated, tweeted on Thursday: “I am outraged by calls from pseudo-journalists speculating about the life of a man who is still struggling.” According to this, Raiola is not doing well. Raiola’s close collaborator, José Fortes Rodriguez, told Dutch broadcaster NOS that while Raiola was alive, it “looked bad”.
Raiola comes from a town south of Naples, but the family moved to the Netherlands as a child. There he was initially a pizza maker, threw up a law degree and then became a player’s agent.
He represents some of football’s biggest and most eccentric stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, world champion Paul Pogba and European champions Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marco Verratti. He is loved by the players and often feared by clubs. He is royally rewarded for his services: In the then record transfer of Pogbas from Juventus Turin to Manchester United for 105 million euros, he is said to have received up to 50 million euros.
Raiola and his company are currently busy with BVB-Sturmass Haaland, which has been associated with several top clubs in Europe for months.