‘Goodbye to the King of the Market’: Italian press bid a fond farewell to super-agent Mino Raiola and reflect on his ‘tugs of war’ with clubs throughout Europe after he passed away at the age of 54 on Saturday
- Football super-agent Mino Raiola passed away due to illness on Saturday
- He represented the likes of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Erling Haaland
- A number of Raiola’s clients paid emotional tributes to him on social media
- The Italian media also bid him a fond farewell in their national newspapers
Newspapers in Italy have paid their respects to Mino Raiola, after the super-agent passed away due to an unspecified illness on Saturday at the age of 54.
His death was met with an outpouring of emotion as several of his clients, including Erling Haaland, Marco Verratti and Hirving Lozano, posted personal tributes on social media shortly after the news was confirmed by Raiola’s family.
The Italian media followed suit, with Raiola’s death dominating the headlines on the sports pages across the country.
Football super-agent Mino Raiola passed away at the age of 54 on Saturday
Corriere dello Sport led the way with the headline: ‘Goodbye to the King of the Market’.
Raiola represented some of the biggest names in football during his career such as Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Mario Balotelli.
He was well-known for his negotiating skills, which in turn meant that he played a significant role in a number of major transfers.
It had appeared that he was set for another busy summer this year, with Pogba out of contract at Manchester United, while Haaland is believed to be closing in on a lucrative move to Manchester City.
Raiola represented AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his career
Corriere dello Sport opted for the headline ‘Goodbye to the King of the Market’
La Gazzetta dello Sport bid farewell to Raiola with an image of him alongside Ibrahimovic
Tuttosport were shocked by the news – their headline read ‘Goodbye to Mino stuns football’
Meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport simply went with ‘Goodbye Raiola’. They proceeded to label him ‘the agent of the big stars’, before reflecting on ‘his infinite negotiations (and tugs of war)’.
Tuttosport added: ‘Goodbye to Mino stuns football,’ in an apparent reference to his popularity with players in the sport.
On Thursday, Raiola’s Twitter account sent a tweet out denying that he had passed away, after some reports in Italy claimed he had died when he was actually in intensive care in hospital.
However, two days later his death was confirmed, leaving the football community in shock.
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