“His passing had been completely unexpected,” Enzo Raiola tells BBC Sport. “Even when he was sick, all our attention was on helping him get better.
“Nothing was in place, and we didn’t think we would need to reorganise everything while grieving – it was extremely difficult.”
Mino died aged 54 in Milan in April 2022, with tributes pouring in from across the football world.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland simply called him “the best”, Italy forward Mario Balotelli said he was his “second father” and Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he had “cried until the last drop finished”.
But Raiola’s family had to move on quickly or risk losing Mino’s business, which was established first by early transfers for Pavel Nedved and Dennis Bergkamp and later featured blockbuster moves on behalf of Haaland and Paul Pogba.
Such was the global media interest in Raiola, there were even false reports of his death when he was still fighting for life.
“We had our players and media asking how he was – while other agents at rival firms tried to steal our players,” said Enzo.
“We had to restructure and react to everything. All while I was going to the hospital for Mino’s final moments.
“I was at his side for 15 years. Mino was an inspiration, having done it as the best of the best for 30 years. He was a one-man show. But we couldn’t stop and had to rebuild almost immediately.”
Mino Raiola’s death inevitably changed things.
While some big players joined up with Raiola’s former business partner Rafaela Pimenta, others went with Enzo – along with Mino’s most trusted scout Jose Fortes Rodriguez – in a rebuilt operation titled Team Raiola.
“Mino wouldn’t let anyone step over him,” recalls Enzo. “He would battle in negotiations, or even just in a hotel lobby to get the right room.
“He had two strikingly different sides to his personality. In interviews and negotiations, he came across as fiercely competitive.
“Yet behind the scenes, with his players and partners he could show a profound sense of compassion and humanity.
“Both me and Jose like to get into the ring to protect our players too, but we are not as outspoken in the media yet.”
