Now the head of one of Europe’s, if not the world’s, biggest sports agency, GestiFute, Jorge Mendes has presided over many eye-watering, million-pound, career-changing transfers. His track-record reads as a blistering exert filled with million pound deals and vast percentage cuts for himself: from overseeing Newcastle United’s €12 million purchase of Hugo Viana to brokering Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-breaking £80 million move to Real Madrid (a transfer which reportedly bagged Mendes £4 million in one fell-swoop), as well as acting as Mourinho’s agent as he moved from Porto to Chelsea to Inter and then to Real, Mendes has staked his claim as the no-nonsense man-in-the-know.
He can deliver any player a dream move, a feat which has been accelerated by GestiFute teaming up with other agencies. The American-based Creative Artists Agency are in tandem with Mendes but the partnership with the now-defunct Formation, previously governed by Wayne Rooney’s agent Paul Stretford, ended acrimoniously over money disputes despite both parties wanting to bring more Portuguese players to the English shores.
Whilst Mendes may appear to be a ruthless dealer, brutal in negotiations, it is surprising to learn that, after realising in his early 20s that he was no good at football, he used to manage bars and video rental shops; now the only rental he is concerned about is the Learjet on which to fly his newest star-studded client. He is marred with controversy: the £7.5 million Bébé deal to Manchester United and Coentrao’s £27.5 million summer transfer from Benfica to Real are two examples cited as the buying club inflating the price as to find a legit method to reward him for previous deals.
But it is the clubs which must take responsibility; in the wake of last October’s Wayne Rooney saga, when he abruptly announced his short-lived desire to leave, Sir Alex Ferguson stated that agents such as Stretford are “not popular at Old Trafford”, yet it’ll be him or one of his colleagues who Ferguson contacts next time he wants to sign a big name.
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So your trying to suggest (poorly) that an agent is the reason for Mou’s success! You sir are an idiot. I suggest you do better research than read 1 article before you come out with crap about Kun. The reason he didn’t go to Madrid was because Athletico didn’t want to sell him to Madrid and the Madrid president not wanting to create problems with a Spanish club. Do more research and you will uncover the facts!
Xavi,
Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated.
Jose Mourinho is a world-class coach. That is an irrefutable fact. However, what the title and the article is insinuating is that the powerful and influential Jorge Mendes has ensured that Mourinho will always be in demand. The fact that one man advises so many of the world’s greatest players (United’s Nani and Anderson to name another two) is an aspect which the insipid Sepp Blatter is not keen on.
Rest assured, I did ample research; however, it was not straightforward as agents such as Mendes work in the shadows. What I would suggest is you check out David Conn’s three-part series, published in The Guardian last January, which delves into the world of football agents.
Thanks,
Theo