Raiola represented such stars as Paul Pogba, Erling Haland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
His death has not yet been confirmed by his agency.
Raiola was hospitalized in Milan in January and underwent very delicate surgery, but the nature of the disease was not revealed.
Reports at the time said the condition was not life-threatening and that Raiola would begin a period of rehabilitation at home.
The multilingual football agent has risen from the humble beginnings of working in a pizzeria to become one of the most important personalities in the world match, mediating big deals with some of the most prominent players.
He was a representative of players such as Pogba, Haland, Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, Mario Balotelli, Marco Verratti and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Forbes estimated last year that Raiola’s personal fortune was worth 62 62 million.
Raiola was reportedly earning up to 20 20 million from Pogba’s λη 89 million world record sales from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016.
High-profile football agent Mino Raiola has died at the age of 54, according to reports.
Raiola poses for pictures with Manchester United and France footballer Paul Pogba (right)
The agent was pictured attending a Serie A football match in Italy last season
It has been a busy summer for Raiola, with Pogba and Haland among his clients expected to be on the move.
In the early 1990s, Raiola worked for Sports Promotions, a company in the Netherlands, and helped with the transfers of many senior Dutch players, including Dennis Bergkamp, to Italian clubs.
Raiola studied the methods of his colleagues to learn how to make such transfers himself, making additional photocopies of the vital documents, before negotiating the transfer of Czech star Pavel Nedved from Sparta Prague to Lazio in 1996.
Since then, Raiola has overseen many of Ibrahimovic’s transfers across Europe, as well as Balotelli’s transfer from Inter to Manchester City in 2010 and his subsequent transfer to Milan.
He fell famously with United coach Sir Alex Ferguson before Pogba went to Juventus in 2012.
Raiola has overseen some of the most lucrative transfers in world football in recent years
Raiola jokes with Pogba before his transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2016
Ferguson was unhappy with the way he felt Raiola had unjustifiably influenced the Pogba family to force the 19-year-old from Old Trafford in 2012.
“I was skeptical of him from the moment I met him,” said the United manager. “There are one or two football agents I just do not like – and Mino Raiola is one of them.
“We had Paul on a three-year contract and he had a one-year renewal option, which we were willing to sign. But Raiola suddenly appeared on stage and our first meeting was a fiasco.
“He and I were like oil and water. “From (the first meeting) onwards, our goose was cooked because Raiola was able to thank Paul and his family and the player signed with Juventus.”
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haland is one of Rayola’s clients who is set to move.
But until the summer of 2016, he oversaw the transfers of three players – Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Mkhitaryan – to Manchester United all in the same window.
Raiola reportedly pocketed 20 20 million from the deal with Pogba, allowing him to buy the former home of notorious American boss Al Capone in Miami.
More to come.
The Godfather of Transfers: When Raiola raised the lid on Pogba 89 89 million’s transfer to Manchester United to Sportsmail
OF SIMON JONES
You need big balls to complete a world record transfer and Jose Mourinho has those balls …
Mino Raiola says it directly, as he likes. “It’s not just a case of spending money,” he insists. He bears the responsibility of spending that money and saying, “Yes, this is my man.” Arsenal has the money, but does it have the balls?
“I respect Arsene Wenger. It has a philosophy that says that these elements do not match what I want to do, so it does not matter. Real Madrid? Zinedine Zidane’s will was strong, but we were not sure it was the club’s will.
However, I think Manchester United showed the world this summer that they are not going to stay still, they want to be the best.
“They sent a message with the transfers that they made that this is the biggest club in the world.”
Raiola is wearing a T-shirt and trousers for jogging, standing barefoot on the balcony of a tall new apartment building overlooking Chelsea Harbor. His teenage son shares the view.
We discuss his busy summer as an agent in some of the biggest names in football.
This is the man who broke into Pogba 89 89 89 million’s world record transfer to Manchester United and has a client list that includes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Balotelli, Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
He has won more than 30 30 million from deals this summer (including around 20 20 million since Pogba’s transfer), his players are being sought by the world’s biggest clubs, so what gave Manchester United and executive vice-president Ed Gad the lead?
“I always tell my players to go where we need to be. United will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world, either in terms of reputation or balance sheet.
“Yes, Manchester United did not have a Champions League and they were not champions, but we needed more.
“United have been talking to us about Pogba for two years,” Raiola confessed.
They had taken my player Sergio Romero and we had kept the lines of communication open.
We knew we were interested, we talked to Juventus, they really wanted to try for the Champions League, they gave him the No. 10 jersey and we said we would give it another year.
“It simply came to our notice then. We had two offers from the Premier League and two away.
Paul said that United were in his heart, Woodward wanted him at United a year ago and Mourinho wanted him at Chelsea, so when the two came together we realized he was right.
“For the player, Real Madrid would be easier, La Liga, Champions League, but he wanted the biggest challenge.
“Mkhitaryan was more complicated. We almost agreed with another Premier League club, but Dortmund did not let him go, and then United pushed him across the line.
“Zlatan fits in perfectly with the Manchester United brand. He is the personification of the fearless and has this winning mentality in conjunction with the class.
“He is 34, but he is the most talked about player in the Premier League. His reunion with Mourinho gives the feeling that “we are Manchester United, come now and try to tease us”! ‘#
Being politically correct is not Raiola’s forte, he has a tendency to be direct, a quality he credits to his Dutch heritage, but instead of the harsh image that many perceive, there is a spontaneous humor in what he delivers.
“I love England when you ask someone, ‘How are you?’ They say “oh, not so bad, I could be worse”. What does this mean? I’m Dutch, we say as it is. In the Netherlands we are either “good” or “bad”. Its funny.’
Born in Italy, Raiola’s family moved to the Netherlands as a baby. His father, an engineer, was trained with the help of his grandmother to set up the family restaurant business.
“I worked hard, cleaned dishes, waited at tables, was a bartender, but I never baked pizza in my life – despite what has been written.”
The Italian inside supports his strong family values and the close bond with his players. Listed by Forbes magazine as one of the most important figures in sports, today he spends valuable time with his son, Mario.
“I’m glad to see my son,” says Raiola. “When he was young, I remember him looking at Zlatan in awe.”
He imitates a little boy, with his mouth open, slowly looking at the sky to pick up a pictorial giant.
“Zlatan was driving him in his Ferrari. I see Mario more now than I used to, I could hardly see him growing up, I would miss him.
“This is life, you have to do the work to get here, to make miles. I like to go and talk to clubs, to know everyone. “We all have different methods.”
To illustrate his point, he tells a joke about a stuttering man who sells more Bibles than his boss by simply threatening to read them to customers if they do not buy them.
“The boss says, ‘What’s your secret?’ “I ring the doorbell and say, ‘HH-Hi, dd-do you want wt-do you want tt-buy this BB-Bible, or dd-do you want ww-do you want me-I READ it ttt-to you?’ ».
His own sales pitch is not for everyone, although he is quick to explain United’s defeat in the derby and the criticism of Pogba and Mkhitaryan.
“It is true that Pogba is not playing his best yet, he is taking time to adapt, but people do not always see the bigger picture. It will dominate for 10 years. He is the lost son of United.
“Mkhi has been the best player in the German league for the last two seasons. He has a strong mindset and will be an asset when he is fully in position.
“Sometimes it’s better to lose because you realize you’re not what you thought you were. “I still believe that United will win the league, as it now has the quality.”
