Who is Rafaela Pimenta? Football Agent in the Spotlight After Stamford Bridge Appearance – Thick Accent
Since entering the agency scene in the 90s, Mino Raiola established himself as a “super-agent” in the world of football until his disappearance in 2022.
Having played a huge role in the transfers of big stars of the past such as Dennis Bergkamp, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Italian agent quickly rose to fame as a man capable of achieving the impossible for footballers.
His recent clientele included the likes of Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian’s move perhaps the latest move Raiola has been working on. But the Italian’s unfortunate death came at a crucial time as City were in talks with Haaland over a move.
Although Raiola is succeeded by two sons, Mario and Gabrielle, according to reports, the management of his Monaco-based agency One was handed over to longtime partner and lawyer Rafaela Pimenta after Raiola’s death.
The Brazilian has worked with Raiola for 18 years and has been a trusted aide for the Italian agent. Given this partnership, it’s no wonder that Pimenta herself is a known face among Raiola’s high-profile clients, such as Paul Pogba, who fondly referred to her as ‘Aunt Rafa’ in his documentary.
With great confusion over Haaland’s future in the air, it was Pimenta who took over Raiola’s role as she held a number of meetings with City officials over the summer to seal the deal. on the bid budget. Moreover, the Brazilian also played an important role in Paul Pogba’s return to Juventus.
These big deals for Pogba and Haaland finally brought Pimenta into the limelight, with multiple media sources now calling him ‘the most important person in football that no one knows’.
But the Brazilian has also literally appeared in the spotlight recently, as Pimenta was spotted in the stands at Stamford Bridge alongside Chelsea owner Todd Boehly during the Blues’ game against Leicester on Saturday.
His appearance alongside Boehly sparked a wide range of rumors involving the Blues.
After a difficult start to the season, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly welcoming new signings, particularly in attack after Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner left the club.
One of the names on Boehly’s shortlist would be young Russian attacking midfielder Arsen Zakharyan who currently plays for Dynamo Moscow. After being awarded the Russian Premier League’s Best Under-21 Player award last season, the 19-year-old looks like an attractive proposition for Chelsea.
According to reports, the London club are closing in on signing the player after a long scouting period, as revealed by the player’s agent Pavel Andreev.
But what’s interesting here is that Andreev also told earlier this week that he was currently working with Pimenta to finalize the transfer and that the Brazilian’s appearance at Stamford Bridge might have been to close the deal. Zakharyan’s signature.
Judging by the quick moves Pimenta has already made, it looks like she’s certainly moved from the role of consigliere to godfather and we can expect her to be involved in some high-profile transfers to come.
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