“I prevent disasters”: Raiola heiress Rafaela Pimenta on her job as a consultant

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With the start of the transfer window, the advisors are also in the spotlight. The most powerful woman in football cannot be missed: Rafaela Pimenta. The Brazilian lawyer took over the empire from Mino Raiola (1967-2022) more than a year ago. Until his death, he and Pimenta ran the consulting firm One.

They always complemented each other perfectly, Pimenta said repeatedly recently. He was the heart and she was the head of the company. The Italian-Dutch liked to seek the spotlight, while she mainly sought anonymity. Hardly any interviews, no dazzling performances. Therefore, after Raiola’s death, she was often called a mysterious heiress and shy of the media.

The comparison with the supermarket

Since then, Pimenta has been able to shed this image of herself. The five languages ​​she speaks fluently helped her with that. Various interviews and public appearances such as Tuesday at the vernissage of the Golden Boy Award 2023 by “Tuttosport” are proof of this.

In Milan, she spoke for the first half hour about her work during a panel discussion. She then spent a long time hanging out with journalists – joking and taking selfies – before boarding a private jet to a match in Norway.

Pimenta sees her job as something very ordinary. It’s not just about signing contracts, though. She compares her service to that of a supermarket. “Sometimes you need meat. Other times milk. We need to have a range that is just as wide. We offer as many services as possible to each player,” she explains. Two issues are of particular importance: social media and legal services.

“The Preventer of Disasters”

She gives an example for the second. “One of my players once bought a house. However, that was in the sea. Means: it didn’t exist at all and so he lost all the money.” He approached her and asked for advice. Of course she doesn’t know everything either. “As a consultant you have to be aware of that. provide the player with contacts they can rely on.”

Pimenta maintains a warm, almost maternal relationship with her players. She is sometimes invited to family gatherings by players such as Erling Haaland (22) and Paul Pogba (30). She recently told sports website The Athletic that she is often asked if she’s actually a cop or a babysitter. “You can also call my job as a nanny, but I call myself disaster prevention. I have to be and deliver what the player needs in a given situation.”

Honesty as a top priority

Acquiring a new customer takes at least six months, but can take up to two years, Pimenta explains. “It’s about getting to know each other and being open to the player at the same time.” When it comes to signing, she always plans her players’ careers and development three to five years in advance. Honesty always comes first.

Pimenta is honest when asked who she thinks will be the next soccer star. “Arda Güler from Fenerbahce,” she says like a shot from a gun. The 18-year-old Turk has played his way off the street on Europe’s wish lists. He is not yet represented by Pimenta. But that is likely to change soon. After all, she wants to continue the empire she has built with Raiola at least as successfully. And for that you need the best players.

Source : Blick