“Meant a lot to football” – Erik ten Hag pays tribute to super-agent Mino Raiola who died on Saturday
New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has paid tribute to super-agent Mino Raiola who died on Saturday at the age of 54.
Raiola will long be remembered for the impact he made on football, and his character within the game. Never afraid to fight for what his client’s wanted, and what they felt they deserved from clubs, Raiola left a mark across European football.
Raiola was the agent to Manchester United star Paul Pogba and former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He was also the agent to Manchester United transfer target Erling Haaland.
Following Ajax’s 3-0 victory over PEC Zwolle at the weekend, Ten Hag was asked about Raiola and was keen to praise the agent and highlight his impact on football as a whole.
Ten Hag said: “He was one of the most impressive agents and also very influential on the international player market.
“He has meant a lot to football, especially to the players he represented. He did that in an excellent way. Mino has been at the basis of the development of many players.”
Ten Hag also revealed that some of his Ajax squad were impacted by the news on Saturday, ahead of the match against PEC Zwolle: “I saw that it moved the players. But because it was so close to the game, I didn’t do anything with it right away.”