Super agent Rafaela Pimenta, who inherited the Mino Raiola empire, gave a detailed interview where she discussed her various clients and the world of football agents.
The Brazilian lawyer, who has been branded ‘the most powerful woman in football’, worked alongside Raiola for 18 years before his unexpected death earlier this year. She played an instrumental role in a number of major deals over the last two decades and was entrusted to carry on his agency’s work.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, Pimenta first discussed how she met and started working with Raiola.
“I met Mino in Brazil, I was doing a job for a company of Rivaldo and César Sampaio, they had a company. It was called CSR. I was doing the legal part, the constitution of this club. One fine day I went to their office of this CSR and there was a guy sitting there, smoking like crazy and asking 1000 questions.
“But really 1000 questions, he wanted to know the law, what the country was like. He wanted to know everything and so we started chatting. On the second day he showed up with a guy and told me: ‘This is a player from São Paulo and he has to go to Italy: what should I do? Find me a way’ and he meant it, because at that time everything was very new in Brazil.
“From that moment on we really started to work seriously, to do more structured, more organised things. And at a certain point Mino said to me: ‘But then to do things seriously, why don’t you come to Europe?’
“And he found me a foothold in Padova and I thought I would take a year at my own pace, do everything and learn. Two months later there was already so much going on that I was all over the place with Mino.”
She reflected on her relationship with the late-super agent.
“It was very intense. He could explode thirty times a day, I never did. When he was nervous, I was always calm. If he got angry with you today, the next day he wouldn’t remember. He was a very tolerant person.
“The last words Mino said to me were the ones he always told me: ‘You have to be happy. You must not stop your life, you must do what makes you feel good’.
“Mino had no battles, he wanted to do things without prejudice. He wanted to propose something to get into the system and do things together in football, because what we do is a reflection of what the players and clubs do.”
Pimenta opened up about Pogba’s return to Juventus in the summer.
“Juventus hadn’t come here to talk about Paul. They had come to watch the tennis tournament, then they came by the office to ask how Mino was doing.
“We said hello and when we were there this idea came up to call Paul and talk to him a bit and see how he saw the idea of coming back to Juve.
“A few times they asked about Erling yes: how he was, what his story was like, how he was doing.”
She spoke highly about fan favourite Mario Balotelli, who is currently finding success with FC Sion in Switzerland.
“Mario is a guy who does his own thing, he does as he wants. He’s always been like that and he does it happily. So as long as he is convinced of what he does, happy him and happy us. Who are we to have an idea for him.”
The super agent reflected on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s decision to leave Milan.
“If we look back it was the right choice. He plays, he’s fine and he doesn’t complain.”
Finally, Pimenta opened up about Matthijs de Ligt’s decision to leave Juventus.
“He said: ‘This is my moment. I had a plan from the beginning to make certain passes and my time has come’, although he is always grateful. I don’t agree when they say he criticises Juve, because that’s not what he does.”