In the modern age of football, where money talks, the shady role of the agent has often been brought into question and disrepute. This was the case over the weekend when The Independent revealed that, purportedly, Real Madrid was the first choice destination for Argentine hotshot Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero but his resistance to sign with their preferred agent, Jorge Mendes, ended their interest thus consigning him to a mega-bucks summer transfer to Manchester City.

In a week where we have seen player power attempt a renaissance in the form of a one-man coup rooted to the confines of a Bavarian substitutes bench, the notion of a footballer, club permitting, not being able to ply his trade where he wishes is an interesting one. On the one hand, if both clubs and the player are interested in completing the deal, negotiations normally run smoothly. But occasionally, conversely – like in Aguero’s case – the hidden bureaucracies of football thwart the player, resulting in him having to decamp to another country, another culture, another language and another climate – although the decadently lavish six-figure weekly wage should probably take the edge off that.

It is within the murky waters of these bureaucracies that the agent, and the new breed of ‘super-agent’, thrive. They act as the barrier (note: not a mediator; they will act in the player’s best interests) between the club and their client – the player – ensuring that their vastly-talented goldmine is protected. They have only really become prominent in the last two decades, when the money in football has escalated to a point where endorsement-ridden lucrative contracts are riddled with caveats and clauses that would bamboozle anyone, let alone a plucky footballer.

Enter the immensely suave and clean-cut Jorge Mendes, who would not look out of place in the offices of Wall Street, and his contract-deciphering contemporaries. For a percentage of their client’s signing-on fees and/or bonuses, they will hold the player’s hand as they sign for a new club, or drum up interest in their client if he feels he has done all he can at his current club. There’s also the added pleasures of being on-call 24/7, making sure that the relevant WAG is kept in supply of flowers and niceties, and also being the first port-of-call for any press stories. Client involved in a late-night, Cristal-fuelled tryst in the dark corner of a swanky West End club? Up to the agent to convince the press they’re “just friends” and that it “won’t affect his performances”.

So ensuring a footballer, who might not be hugely educated, isn’t hoodwinked is a very noble thing, surely? Well, yes … and no. Because it is becoming apparent that these super-agents are beginning to act like puppets who answer to the higher powers of their puppeteers; the strings are being pulled in the secretive chambers of a locked boardroom, rather than in their client’s luxurious living room as the player’s mother puts on a spread.

For example, Mendes represents no fewer than four of Real’s star assets, comprising of Fabio Coentrao, Ricardo Carvalho, the world’s most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo, and head honcho Jose Mourinho. With this roll-call at his disposal, a few telephone calls could see this contingent heading for the Bernabeu door in an act which could easily break Real Madrid. But, as it is, he acts in the interests of the Madrid giants, exemplified through the fact that a deal never materialised for Aguero because the player would not comply with the agent’s demands, rather than, as is norm, vice-versa. This twist in the tale is a new addition to modern day football but Mendes, like Pini Zahavi at Chelsea and Kia Joorabchian at Man City, is a super-agent who has carved out a name for himself as a shrewd mover who can deliver a dream move.

Click HERE to head to PAGE TWO…