Mino Raiola: the game changer that was both hated and loved in football

Game changer. There is no better way to describe Mino Raiola and his impact on the transfer market, a crazy and unpredictable world where he fitted perfectly. As a moment to sum up the agent - and what he built around him - nothing can beat what unfolded before my eyes in Turin on 17 July 2019.

Matthijs de Ligt was expected to arrive at the Juventus Stadium, and hordes of enthusiastic fans had come to greet him. He was another world-class signing after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018, with competition seen off from clubs such as Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. The man behind the deal was Raiola, whose excellent relations with Pavel Nedved, the Juventus vice-president and one of his former clients, had helped to smooth the deal from Ajax.

Related: Mino Raiola, one of football’s most powerful agents, dies aged 54

When the car arrived and Raiola got out first, the Juventus fans started … singing for him. Incredible but true. It was surely the first time in football history, supporters chanted for an agent. “Mino, Mino, Mino ...” The song was pretty clear and a laughing Raiola greeted the fans before answering the inevitable questions from journalists about his commission

It was a snapshot of who Raiola was in the football industry: a smart man ready for anything who certainly would not have wanted to be “beatified” after his death aged 54 on Saturday. For fans and managers Raiola could be a dream and a nightmare. There were those who sang his name in the hope of a top player joining their club and those who hated him to the point of obsession because they were terrified of losing a star, or because of his financial demands.

In July 2016 I saw Raiola in the centre of Milan with his cousin and right-hand man Vincenzo. A