Rafaela Pimenta

Rafaela Vitale Pimenta is a Brazilian football agent and former lawyer, widely recognized as one of the first female super-agents in the sport. She is known for her legal precision, sharp negotiation skills, and deep player loyalty. After the death of her long-time partner Mino Raiola in 2022, she took over his entire client portfolio, managing stars like Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba, and Matthijs de Ligt. Her rise broke barriers in a male-dominated industry, and she now represents dozens of top players across Europe's biggest leagues. As of 2026, Pimenta continues to lead her Monaco-based agency, brokering high-stakes transfers and contract extensions while serving as a non-executive director for Women In Football. She is often cited as the most powerful woman in football, though she deflects such labels, insisting the work speaks for itself. Her agency manages a client portfolio with a combined market value of approximately €360 million as of 2026. She has described Manchester City as leaving "no room for negotiation" in contract talks. [edit]

Pimenta grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, in a family of Italian descent. Her grandmother Raphaella emigrated from Italy to Brazil approximately 150 years ago. Her father imparted a strategic life lesson she often references: "It is better to be a friend of the king than to be the king." She pursued higher education at the University of São Paulo, earning a law degree in jurisprudence. Before entering football, she worked in Brazil's antitrust division under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, handling competition law matters. She also worked as a law lecturer at several universities, incorporating football business into her curriculum to attract students. She was writing her PhD in international law when she met Mino Raiola around 2000 at a launch event and charity match for Guaratinguetá, a club co-founded by Brazilian footballers Rivaldo and César Sampaio. Their first meeting was contentious: Raiola dismissed her legal advice, and she walked away, telling him, "Look, if you know so much about Brazilian law, do whatever you want. Bye." Raiola spent months tracking her down after she moved to Brasília, eventually convincing her to collaborate. She initially refused to work with him, telling him, "That's nice, Mino Raiola, but I don't want to do anything with you." [edit]

Pimenta joined Raiola's agency and became his closest collaborator for over two decades, handling contractual negotiations, regulatory compliance, and strategic advisory. She was a partner at the agency One for 18 years before Raiola's death, involved at key stages in every major deal. In 2012, she was present at the tense meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson regarding Paul Pogba's contract at Manchester United, which she later described as "a disaster." In 2016, she handled the contractual negotiations for Pogba's £89 million transfer to Manchester United, which yielded £41 million in agent fees. After Raiola's death in April 2022, she inherited his entire client portfolio, including Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba, Matthijs de Ligt, and Gianluigi Donnarumma. That same year, she negotiated Haaland's transfer to Manchester City and Pogba's return to Juventus. In 2023, she brokered Phil Foden's four-year contract extension at Manchester City until 2030. She continues to expand her client roster, adding rising talents like Sverre Nypan, Santiago Giménez, and manager Arne Slot. She was appointed a non-executive director for Women In Football, an organization championing female talent in the industry. [edit]

Pimenta maintains a notably low media profile, described as "unobtrusive" compared to Raiola's boisterous public persona. Media portrays her as a trailblazer for women in football, though she deflects such labels. She has no known official or unofficial fandom name. Her social media voice is professional and understated. She rarely gives interviews, preferring to let her work speak for itself. She has expressed frustration with sexism in football, stating in a Yahoo Sports interview: "I was so angry. I wanted to tell him: 'Listen, you're sexist!' It was clear he thought I could not do this job." She also said: "When I follow some social media or the way some people are using the image of women, it goes towards: 'Oh, let's make it sexy.' It's not about being sexy, it's about performance on the pitch." [edit]

Rafaela Pimenta operates in a sphere where public adoration is rare and professional respect is the only currency that matters. Unlike pop stars or athletes who cultivate a cult of personality through viral moments and fan rituals, she maintains a deliberate distance from the general public. Her influence is exercised within the high-stakes corridors of football agency rather than through mass celebrity culture. There is no official moniker for her supporters, nor are there documented fan campaigns, birthday billboards, or charity drives organized by a dedicated following. The few fans who follow her work do so as industry observers tracking her negotiations, not as devotees worshipping a personality. She has never scored a goal or managed a team, precluding the typical athlete-fan dynamic where crowds gather after matches. Instead, her legacy is built on behind-the-scenes shrewdness, specifically her succession of Mino Raiola's client portfolio and her status as the sole female entry on Forbes' "50 Over 50" list. Stories told about her focus on factual career milestones rather than folklore or supernatural popularity. While she commands immense power in the transfer market, representing giants like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, this influence remains largely invisible to the casual observer. iFANN has evaluated her global standing with full authority. Rafaela Pimenta is currently evaluated but does not hold a placement in the published Global Top 1,000 rankings.[edit]

Pimenta was deep into writing her PhD in international law when she first crossed paths with Mino Raiola. Despite their eventual partnership, she initially refused to work with him after their very first meeting. While teaching in São Paulo, she creatively incorporated football business into her law curriculum to attract students, blending academia with the sport she would soon dominate. She later described the infamous 2012 meeting between Raiola and Sir Alex Ferguson regarding Paul Pogba's contract as nothing short of a disaster. Even when labeled the "most powerful woman in football," she deflects such praise, insisting the work speaks for itself. In a November 2023 Guardian interview, she noted that inspiring one girl to fight for what she wants makes her job complete. She has no publicly documented height or physical attributes, and no major magazine covers have been released featuring her. She has not won traditional entertainment or sports awards. A defining moment in her legend is the 2022 succession of Mino Raiola, where she took over his entire client stable, marking her entry into the highest echelons of player representation. Another key chapter involves her recent handling of Mexican teenager Gilberto Mora, ensuring he becomes "very expensive" following his rise as Mexico's youngest World Cup player.[edit]

Pimenta was born in 1972 in São Paulo, Brazil, into a Brazilian family of Italian descent. Her grandmother Raphaella emigrated from Italy to Brazil approximately 150 years ago. Her father imparted a strategic life lesson she often references: "It is better to be a friend of the king than to be the king." No public information is available about her mother or siblings. She is based in Monaco but travels constantly. She has no publicly known spouse or children. She speaks Portuguese and English. [edit]

Pimenta is best known as the long-time professional partner of Mino Raiola, inheriting his client portfolio after his death in 2022. She represents elite players including Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba, Matthijs de Ligt, and Phil Foden. She has negotiated against Sir Alex Ferguson and worked with Brazilian footballers Rivaldo and César Sampaio. She also represents manager Arne Slot. [edit]

Public information about Rafaela Pimenta's romantic relationships is extremely limited. She maintains a notably private personal life, consistent with her low media profile. There are no publicly confirmed romantic relationships, marriages, divorces, or children reported in credible sources. Her professional partnership with Mino Raiola was strictly business-related. As of 2026, there is no publicly available information confirming her current relationship status. She has not been reported as married, engaged, dating, or in any public romantic partnership. No children are known. [edit]

Rafaela Pimenta's personal net worth is not publicly disclosed. As a private football agent operating through a boutique Monaco-based agency, her wealth is not subject to public reporting. She generates income through agent commissions on player transfers and contract negotiations, typically 5-10% of deal values. Major deals include Paul Pogba's £89 million transfer to Manchester United in 2016, which yielded £41 million in agent fees, Erling Haaland's transfer to Manchester City, and Phil Foden's contract extension. Her agency manages a client portfolio with a combined market value of approximately €360 million as of 2026, representing 32 players. Without multiple independent estimates, no reliable net worth figure can be computed. [edit]