Super agenti

[Culé]

They are the men all clubs must go to if they want a deal doing quickly, efficiently and - best of all - quietly.

These are the real power brokers in European football, the game’s super-agents, connected all over the world and earning millions from every deal they pull off - and it seems they're in for a busy summer.

Jorge Mendes
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent made his name brokering Jose Mourinho’s move from Porto to Chelsea in 2004 and now stands to make around £5 million from the Ronaldo move alone. Mendes now deals only with the very top clubs in Europe and managed to make Mourinho the world’s highest paid manager when he took over at Inter Milan last year.

Pini Zahavi
The former Israeli journalist went on to become football’s first - and some would say still only - true super-agent. Close to Roman Abramovich and the first port of call for Manchester City after they became the world’s richest club last year, Zahavi has a contacts book which makes him impeccably connected all over the planet.

Ernesto Bronzetti
The man who AC Milan and Juventus turn to for advice on all of their transfer dealings. Bronzetti was at the heart of Manchester City’s botched move for Kaka in January - on the Italian side - and remains Serie A’s Mr Fix-It of choice.

Gines Carvajal
The man who represents Raul, Iker Casillas and Guti, as well as a host of other players around Spain, is the most powerful agent in a country with more players’ representatives than any other. Carvajal is closely linked with both Madrid clubs and is a friend of Florentino Perez.

Vincenzo Morabito
Closely linked with both AC Milan and Roma, few deals come to fruition in Italy without Morabito’s involvement. He is most usually mentioned in dispatches in connection with Emmanuel Adebayor, the most high-profile client of his FIMO firm.