“His passing had been utterly sudden,” Enzo Raiola tells BBC Sport. “Even when he was sick, all our consideration was on serving to him get higher.
“Nothing was in place, and we did not assume we would wish to reorganise every thing whereas grieving – it was extraordinarily tough.”
Mino died aged 54 in Milan in April 2022, with tributes pouring in from throughout the soccer world.
Manchester Metropolis striker Erling Haaland merely referred to as him “the perfect”, Italy ahead Mario Balotelli mentioned he was his “second father” and Zlatan Ibrahimovic mentioned he had “cried till the final drop completed”.
However Raiola’s household needed to transfer on shortly or threat dropping Mino’s enterprise, which was established first by early transfers for Pavel Nedved and Dennis Bergkamp and later featured blockbuster strikes on behalf of Haaland and Paul Pogba.
Such was the worldwide media curiosity in Raiola, there have been even false stories of his dying when he was nonetheless preventing for all times.
“We had our gamers and media asking how he was – whereas different brokers at rival companies tried to steal our gamers,” mentioned Enzo.
“We needed to restructure and react to every thing. All whereas I used to be going to the hospital for Mino’s last moments.
“I used to be at his aspect for 15 years. Mino was an inspiration, having accomplished it as the perfect of the perfect for 30 years. He was a one-man present. However we could not cease and needed to rebuild nearly instantly.”
Mino Raiola’s dying inevitably modified issues.
Whereas some massive gamers joined up with Raiola’s former enterprise associate Rafaela Pimenta, others went with Enzo – together with Mino’s most trusted scout Jose Fortes Rodriguez – in a rebuilt operation titled Group Raiola.
“Mino would not let anybody step over him,” remembers Enzo. “He would battle in negotiations, and even simply in a resort foyer to get the correct room.
“He had two strikingly completely different sides to his character. In interviews and negotiations, he got here throughout as fiercely aggressive.
“But behind the scenes, together with his gamers and companions he might present a profound sense of compassion and humanity.
“Each me and Jose wish to get into the ring to guard our gamers too, however we’re not as outspoken within the media but.”
