Became part of the national Spanish culture. Today the Spanish football league is a generally recognized leader. This is where they play best players, it is the matches of Spanish clubs that are watched with bated breath even in the most remote corners of the world. Many young players pin their hopes on joining one of the famous Spanish clubs. This is where a well-done job as a football agent often plays a decisive role.
Finding a football agent in Spain is main question, which a football player who is already 18 years old must put in front of him. It is from the age of 18 that players become eligible to sign contracts with professional clubs. Every year at the end football season clubs hold tryouts for youth teams. Hundreds of players come to try out for first division clubs (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, Levante, Seville, etc.). Even if you are a very good player, the competition is incredibly high. If you are aiming for professional career in Spanish football league, we recommend entering into a contract with a football agent who will represent your interests.
Pros of having a football agent in Spain:
- A football agent can advise you on all matters related to joining a Spanish football club. Based on the player’s level, he will tell you which clubs are best to try out for at the initial stage.
- A football agent can arrange trials throughout the playing season. Of course, it is very difficult to organize tests for clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid after all the teams have been recruited, and not all agents will undertake this. The player must be prepared for the fact that organizing such tests will entail large financial expenses.
- When a player is already enrolled in one of the Spanish clubs, a football agent monitors his career and organizes viewings of the young footballer’s game by representatives of famous clubs.
- When concluding a contract with a club, a football agent defends the interests of the player.
- A football agent handles all paperwork related to enrollment in a Spanish football club, obtaining permission from the International Football Association, FIFA, or transfer from one club to another.
A contract for the provision of services is concluded between the player and the football agent. FIFA has developed a standard form of this agreement, which can be used as a basis. The most important point that a player should pay attention to is the presence of an exclusivity clause in the contract. The presence of this clause, depending on its wording, may not allow the player to change his football agent over time or significantly complicate this process. When concluding an agreement with a football agent, we advise you to contact an independent lawyer who will evaluate the agreement from the point of view of risks for the player.
Until 2001, all football agents in Spain were required to obtain a special FIFA license, for which they periodically passed a qualifying exam. Currently, licenses are issued by national football associations. In accordance with FIFA regulations, only agents with the appropriate license can represent the interests of a football player. Therefore, before signing an agreement for the provision of representation services, it is necessary to check whether the agent has this license.
Football agents in Spain represent the interests of more than just players. Many clubs hire football agents to find promising players and sign them on behalf of the club.
A football agent in Spain provides services on a paid basis. The cost of a football agent's services is 8-10% of a football player's salary. The agent receives this amount when concluding a contract between the club and the football player, as well as each time it is renewed.
In Spain, a player is considered to be starting his professional career football career only upon reaching 18 years of age. Until the age of 18, the education of a young football player should come first. FIFA regulations prohibit the inclusion of foreign players under 18 years of age in the youth squads of clubs if their move to Spain is related solely to football. This is important. In order for a foreign player to be enrolled in a Spanish football club, permission from FIFA is required. If a minor player moves to Spain solely for football reasons, such permission will not be given. Even clubs like Barcelona are refused. The Catalan club is currently negotiating the abolition of this clause of FIFA regulations.
If you want to play in one of football clubs Spain and you need a football agent, contact the company and our specialists will help you with all questions.
How the agency business works in Russia. Transfers, contracts, scandals
Who is in charge of the affairs of Dzyuba, Smolov, Kokorin.
For the New Year 2017, the Russian Football Union gave the agents a gift that could not be called desirable. In itself, the desire of officials to streamline the activities of this category of citizens and bring them into line with FIFA and UEFA standards was extremely commendable. But this did not make the transfer manipulations any more transparent; rather, they became murkier.
Regulations
Article 2 of the RFU Regulations on working with intermediaries states: “Football players, coaches and clubs have the right to use the services of only intermediaries accredited by the RFU when moving (transferring) a football player from one club to another, as well as when concluding (changing, terminating) an employment contract for a football player or coach with club."
Of course, the RFU did not limit itself to auto-replacing one concept (agent) to another (intermediary). The criteria for registration and certification of “invisible front fighters” from football have also changed. Those wishing to officially participate in transfer operations were required to obtain accreditation. Not free. The one-time fee for the highest category, PRO (there are three in total) amounted to 10 million rubles and another 3 - annual, starting from the second year. For some oligarch it’s a trifle, but for an ordinary worker in the agency business - decent money, sometimes unaffordable (try to beat it back).
As a result, in just one year, the register of registered intermediaries of the RFU decreased by more than five times - from 38 entities as of the beginning of 2017 to the current seven. At the same time, most of the names on the current list will mean nothing even to a corrosive football fan.
Registry
This group needs no introduction Pavel Andreev, an agent with high authority, extensive connections and a huge client base. He received RFU accreditation with the symbolic first number. The list of persons with whom Andreev has entered into an agreement also inspires respect. Three big clubs (Spartak, Krasnodar, Dynamo) and about seven dozen players ( Zobnin, D. Kombarov, Selikhov, Miranchuk...) is just the tip of the pyramid built by Pavel Olegovich and his partners.
Accreditation No. 2 belongs to Vadim Shpinev. He was authorized to manage the affairs of four RPL clubs (Zenit, Spartak, Lokomotiv, Rubin) and 17 mostly young football players. Until recently, Shpinev was positioned in the media as a representative of the Miranchuks. It is strange that in the register of intermediaries of the RFU - an official document - neither Alexey nor Anton are listed as his wards. The most famous surname here - Lysov.
In clients Yuri Zaitsev half of the Russian championship teams and about 30 players are listed. U Dmitry Studenikin the corresponding column of the table contains only one team and a couple of names. U Darina Nikitina, Oleg Potaynov And Mikhail Chibrikov(the last two have the SubPRO category) it is still empty, but behind each figure there is an influential beneficiary, who for one reason or another has no desire to appear in the documents. Well, or it’s trivial to waste time on paperwork.
De jure only this “ magnificent seven» can provide services to football players, coaches and clubs when concluding/extending/terminating contracts. And only she has the right to an official commission from the clubs. “Unlicensed” are deprived of such a privilege. For them this is a big, huge minus.
Intermediaries without a license
Does this mean that other agents and entire specialized companies suddenly became outlaws and are now engaged in illegal business? Not at all. Don't tell me to introduce myself as agents? Okay, let's call ourselves consultants, assistants, advisors. The renaming of the profession did not change its essence and relevance.
The only thing that has decreased is the sources of income. Unlicensed intermediaries now receive commissions only from individuals - players, coaches. Someone registers as an individual entrepreneur, carefully pays income tax and sleeps peacefully. Some people don’t even need papers – a gentleman’s agreement is enough.
If previously an agent needed a license to carry out his functions, now reputation has come first. The football world is a small place, information travels quickly. Whoever has the better image is the one they go to. It’s like in college: first you work for a name, then the name works for you.
Percent
The agent’s level of well-being depends on many factors - “weight” in business, the gift of persuasion, and the integrity of clients. The intermediary is vitally interested in getting a larger contract for his client, a larger signing bonus - his own remuneration is formed from these payments.
The typical agent commission in Russia is 10% of salary. From the signing bonus you can claim a more substantial sum - up to half of the total amount. In turn, the size of the lifts is determined not only by the qualifications, but also by the status of the player. For a free agent, all other things being equal, it will be greater than for a football player under contract (the former employer does not need to pay). This explains the frequent delays in extending expiring agreements and scandalous transfers from one team to another. No one wants to lose quality players like this, but many are not averse to getting them for next to nothing.
Roughly speaking, the more often a player changes location, the more satisfying his agent’s life is. But this scheme only works with top players and obviously liquid, talented youth. As you understand, no one will pay for mediocrity, especially if it is overripe (unless, of course, there is an obvious corruption component in the case). Sometimes an agent even refuses a fee just to accommodate his player.
Agents with connections in the media world offer clients a broader range of services than negotiation representation. Sometimes they even give interviews under the guise of their stellar but taciturn charges. Everything would be fine - sometimes the syllable gives away...
Conflicts of interest
The agency business, like any business involving big money, is cynical and sometimes cruel. People unite, disperse, create new “cooperatives”. Players also migrate – from team to team, from one business group to another. Conflicts of interest are inevitable, and they flare up periodically.
At one time, one of the most experienced agents in the country survived the mass exodus. Together with ex-companions Mikhail Cherepovsky And Sergei Pushkin his "SA - football agency" left an impressive squad of players. Individual transitions from one representative to another occur en masse and are taken for granted.
Entry points
It is almost impossible for a “stray” agent, even if he is at least a hundred times good at his business, to “get” a player into the RPL alone. Firstly, managers with signature rights prefer to work with trusted partners - the percentage of babbles and ordinary scammers in this world is too high. Secondly, in serious clubs with stable funding, as a rule, there is no single “entrance”. The candidate must be approved at several levels - starting from the head coach and ending with the sports, general director, and president. And at each one he can be hacked to death. I'm not talking about the fact that the director who is using budget funds may have his own interest in the transaction - not necessarily a sporting one...
It is more promising to “enter” from several sides at once into a large, ambitious club with a complex vertical of power. Ideally, by enlisting the support of colleagues who have influence on specific functionaries (a striking example is Marco Trabucchi in Spartak). In particularly complex stories, a whole pool of agents is included (3, 4, 5 people), and each receives their percentage - if the joint operation is successful. These are temporary alliances: they worked and then parted ways.
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
A rare example of autocracy in the RPL is CSKA. The older generation of “army men” and agents did not have any. Berezutsky, Ignashevich or Akinfeev directly, without intermediaries, they conducted a dialogue on contractual issues with the club - in the person of the sports or general director, and the president Giner made a resolution.
It's the same with transfers. Without the knowledge of the first person in CSKA, not a single personnel decision is possible. Valuable players do not leave it for competitors, especially for free. He never overpays and has a rare gift of persuasion. Because of his integrity and prudence, Evgeniy Lennorovich is not very popular in the agency community. But they respect.
Agents-relatives
In light of recent events, the stepfather's surnames appeared in the media more often than usual Alexandra Kokorina and father Pavel Mamaev. Both appear in the news as agents of troubled football players. Informed people clarified: this definition is not entirely correct. More precisely, it’s half true.
Konstantin Mamaev, as well as any other relative of a football player, has the right to participate in the discussion of contractual nuances with the employer (the player may lack determination, experience, or basic knowledge for this) or give comments in the press. U Claudio Marchisio, let’s say the father performs similar functions. But the player’s career moves are accompanied by other people. According to one version, German Tkachenko helped him move to Krasnodar. According to another, the transfer was prepared and carried out by the clubs directly, without the participation of intermediaries, and the football player only had to agree on the financial terms. This is where he certainly needed his father’s assistance.
His stepfather plays a similar role in Kokorin’s career Kirill Loginov. According to my information, double transfer Zhirkova And Kokorina from the administrative capital to the cultural capital was agreed upon without outside help, on top level. The player’s representative became involved already at the stage of discussing a personal contract.
Dad represents the interests Artyom Dziuba, perhaps the brightest Russian football player of summer-autumn 2018. Naturally, such a prominent figure in all respects is always surrounded by intermediaries, including foreign ones. Everyone strives to make money on a star - and by the standards of the RPL, Dzyuba is a star without reservations. Artyom gave the go-ahead to agents to search for a club abroad and was very upset when they were unsuccessful. Currently, Dzyuba is not bound by contractual obligations with any intermediary. It is difficult to imagine that Artyom signs any agreements with his own father.
As practice shows, football players of this status more often need the help of a strong lawyer than an agent - regardless of recent history. It will not be difficult for a top player in Russia to find a team - it is important to draw up a contract correctly.
The most influential agents of Russia
Compiling an objective rating of the country's top agents right now is a futile undertaking. Too many evaluation criteria need to be taken into account, despite the fact that a colossal layer of information is not publicly available. There are more rumors and speculations than reliable information. But the football people with whom I consulted when preparing the publication invariably named three names (in alphabetical order): Andreev, Artyomov, Tkachenko. These are the “frontmen”, the “faces” of their companies or business groups.
Top 9 most influential agents in Russia
Pavel Andreev– “intermediary No. 1” by license number. It was not possible to find the official resources of his company on the Internet, but the picture of the RFU registry is eloquently complemented by transfermarkt information. According to them, 16 of his clients (7 – 5 – 4) play in the main teams of Spartak, Lokomotiv and Dynamo alone, not counting the farm, youth team, and academy.
At one time the agency had a convenient, informative website Oleg Artyomov– now there is neither a resource nor references on transfermarkt – everything has been completely removed. Apparently, the need for PR has finally disappeared. Fellow agents joked that Artyomov had a monopoly on all Russian-speaking forwards with a height of 185 cm and above. Today, many of them have either completed their careers ( Pavlyuchenko), or not far from the finish line ( Pogrebnyak, Bukharov), but, according to rumors, Artyomov’s client base amounts to hundreds of names.
German Tkachenko how he specialized in stars ( Tikhonov, Ignashevich, Semak, A. Kerzhakov), and specializes. Today the “faces” of the company Prosports Management are Fedor Smolov, Oleg Shatov, Arthur Yusupov. On the Internet, which is typical, it is also not represented by a corporate website. Apparently, that same rumor is enough to maintain the high authority of the company.
Some transfer market bigwigs occupy senior administrative positions at clubs. Sports director of Rostov Alexey Ryskin if it is mentioned in the press (and this happens extremely rarely), then, as a rule, in conjunction with Artyomov, as a long-time business partner of the agent and the unspoken leader of the group.
Rustem Saimanov appears in the public space a little more often - the position (general director of Rubin) obliges. Kazan owes its historic first championship to this man, perhaps no less than Berdyev. It was he who actually assembled the golden team 10 years ago. Since then authority Saimanova V football world only grew and became stronger. Even the imprisonment did not undermine him. Appointment to a key position at Rubin - the best for that confirmation.
Along with public and shadow market leaders, there are companies striving for openness in business. For example, the D-Sports agency, which handles Alexandra Erokhin, Stanislav Kritsyuk, Evgenia Markova and several dozen other young players, actively promotes himself on the Internet through a website and social networks. But this is rather an exception to the rule. On a global scale, the territory has long been divided, and those who control it have no reason to leave the comfortable shadow. The process is established, the money is flowing.
Talent hunt
“It’s already difficult to find a player in Spartak or CSKA born in 2002-03 without an agent,” a remark from a youth football specialist who wished to remain anonymous. – They “snatch up” quickly. They invite you to restaurants, give you iPhones, adjust contracts with boot manufacturers, give money to parents - all in order to win and retain a promising boy. Go to a match of 15-16-year-olds in Moscow, see who meets them - crowds of long-legged, painted girls in miniskirts and uncle agents. Both of them are hunting - each their own...”
How academies lure students away from each other is a topic for a separate study...
13 football player friends
"Championat.com" has compiled its own version of the hit parade of the wealthiest and most influential agents and agencies in the world.
Golovin spoke with the person who is handling the cases of Smolnikov and Alenichev.
Alexander Manyakov is the head of Follow Me Sports Agency. His agency ranks first in Russia in terms of the number of clients among football players - 98 players from 57 clubs. He opened the company in 2005 and over 13 years accumulated a base of players from eight national teams.
Alexander Golovin met with Manyakov to understand how the agency business actually works.
What did Manyakov do before he became an agent?
- I finished football school Lokomotiv in 1993. After that, he played in the youth team of Spartak, there was such a team under the reserve team. In it I crossed paths with people who later became famous - Gunko, Meleshin, Dzhubanov. I still communicate with them, as well as with Titov. But he was not in the youth team - he was immediately transferred from the academy to the reserve team because he looked cooler than everyone else. When I was still running for Lokomotiv, they personally put me against Yegor, although there was no chance - I carried him decently.
– Who else stood out as a child?
– Shevchenko remembered. I saw him in the final part of the USSR Championship in 1991. “Spartak”, “Lokomotiv”, “Dynamo” Kyiv got there. I remember that we were placed in a boarding school for the mentally retarded in Stupino. We lived in one wing, Spartak in the other.
– What about the patients?
“They were removed from the boarding school.” And so Lokomotiv and I then went against Kyiv in group stage. We lost 1:4, Sheva scored two. He really caught my eye. Wasn't ahead of everyone else physical development, but it looked great. By the way, Shovkovsky seemed to be standing at the goal then, and Roma Sharonov and Evseev were playing for us. Vadik is actually my godfather. I am the godfather of his daughter Polina, he is the godfather of my eldest Dasha. And Vadik’s wife Tatyana is the godmother of Anya’s middle daughter.
– Did Evseev behave as impudently as he does now?
“I wasn’t a bully—he was such a quiet C student.” He was naughty sometimes. Once we were going to a training camp near Tula - an entire train car was allocated for the team. The train stopped at the stations, but our doors did not open. And as we set off, there was immediately a buzz on the platform, people were screaming... I asked: “Why are you laughing?” - "Nothing". And again. The coach then came up: “Good.” It turned out that they were getting tomatoes and eggs that their mothers had given them on the road. The train started moving - they threw them at passers-by.
– After school you could go to professional team?
– I was there – in Mytishchi. I just graduated from Lokomotiv school and ended up at Torpedo MKB. It was among the leaders of the third league. I was considered the youngest, local, so they wanted to keep me. But he was stupid. At first I was just training, they didn’t offer me a contract. Ambition played a role. I thought I was fine and went to the Lokomotiv reserve team. I ran around for a week and they said, “Thank you, no need.” I didn’t go back to Mytishchi – my conscience wouldn’t allow it. I went without a team and studied at the pedagogical institute with Spartak players - Gunko, Dzhubanov. They suggested: “Come to us.” The coach, Anatoly Fedoseevich Korolev, was warned. He is a very cool specialist, he trained a lot of young people, and he remembered me from playing for Loko.
Maniakov with Dmitry Gunko
I arrive at the playpen - squares. My head was spinning and I couldn’t leave the square. The first six months were very difficult. We performed at KFC, a lot international tournaments, but they didn’t take me - I didn’t make it into the squad. I played football poorly, it wasn’t easy. Plus from the outskirts of Mytishchi, street, late 90s. This also derailed my career a little.
- How?
“They almost went to jail for theft.”
– Was something really stolen?
- Certainly. But I don’t want to remember the details. In general, many from the yard went into crime. Half of them are already dead - drugs, murders. I don’t remember any high-profile incidents, but small disputes constantly occurred. We got into a fight with someone at a disco, we’ll meet tomorrow. They are gone, someone else has arrived and is bleating. Once he was in the car, they took him into the forest and pointed a gun at him. Didn't give it away. They gave me five for their perseverance and said: “Tell them that we are looking for them.”
- Did you get kicked out of Spartak for theft?
“Back then I was already a member of Roda.” “Spartak” sent me to such a Moscow team. It was sponsored by Oleg Sienko, until recently the director of Uralvagonzavod. He played for her. And I was away from my cell for a week because of that theft. When I came out, they told me: “Come on, without discrediting me.” I ran a little more and went to mini-football. He went against Eremenko. He was a greyhound on the field. But in the game against him and “Dina” my head was spinning. I also remember Grigory Ivanov - he himself played then. Emotional, although it quickly faded.
Spent three months in the mini. Even during the incident with the camera, the lawyer said an interesting thing: “You’re not a stupid guy. You understand that others need to earn money. Better study - your head is clear, your speech is normal, you position yourself correctly.” Roda coach Volodya Apachinsky said something similar. He owned a car business. He asked: “Why the hell are you getting into all this? You can also go into business.” It stuck with me. He confessed, took communion, and began going to church. And I realized that crime is not my thing. For him you need to have a certain character, way of thinking. Don't be afraid. And I am a doubter.
How Manyakov became an agent
– What happened after football?
- Comrade, Oleg Malezhik, he is also from Mytishchi, in 1997 he invited me to the second higher education: “There is a law faculty of Moscow State Law Academy. Shall we go? I agreed, although I was still studying at the first institute.
Oleg started working in banks early. And when I graduated from the academy, I opened an investment company. She was involved in mediation in transactions with bills. Invited me. What is the meaning - there is, for example, Moscow railway and some carrier. The road has no money to pay for transportation. So they write you a promissory note. At the same time, you inflate the cost of work. The work costs two million, you write five. When selling a bill to a third party, you give a discount - you give it back for just two. And people buy because they can then demand three million from the road. Or a comparable service.
– What exactly were you doing?
- Bringing people together. You need a bill from the energy company, and I know who's selling it because I'm on the phone all the time, finding out information. In short, I acted as a mediator, and one of the parties paid me for it. The first transaction took place within two weeks. Although before this there was a choice - to go to the company or as a security guard in the parking lot that was opened next to the house. After all, I chose the center of Moscow.
This then spilled over into the petrochemical business. I still have it - I deal with solvents and paints and varnishes, and sell them. In 2004, for this work, I went to Dzerzhinsk for a year. The Polikom company still operates there, producing antifreeze and solvents. I met its owners. And their friend went to prison for eight years with confiscation of property. He left behind a 14-year-old son, a football player. They say: “Take him to Moscow - he’ll be lost here.” I took him, got him a job at Lokomotiv, he even got into the youth team. And I became friends with the guys there. Including Smolnikov.
- How? You are an adult, they are children.
- Yes, we were just talking. Just like there are parents who constantly accompany the team. It was interesting to me, I had a lot of time. He constantly hung around Lokomotiv, everyone knew. Including the coach of the 1988 national team Nikolai Smirnov. He introduced people from the legal department of the RFU and told how agents work. I received a license and signed contracts with the boys. The coaches said: “Come on, San. You're doing fine with your kids. You won’t quit.” And so it started to spin.
– I don’t really understand. 16-year-old boys are playing at school, then a man comes up to them and asks them to sign a contract. Did Smolnikov immediately agree?
“I didn’t even ask any questions.” He knew me for six months and was a close friend. Like a little brother. I gave money, we ate in restaurants.
– Is he your first client?
– The first one is still the one whose dad was imprisoned. He didn’t become a footballer, now he lives in Krasnodar and works there as a lawyer. I brought my dad to live with me. And Igor is the first of those who reached this level. Although I didn’t get into Bilyaletdinov’s double team – I was sick almost the entire senior year. He was small, but then he began to grow. The muscles could not keep up with the growth of the bones. Because of this, injuries occurred. But Volchek took him to Torpedo. Igor came to the double for $300 a month.
– Did you make money from the transfer?
- Yes, what is it? Malezhik and I—he also received a license—received our first money for a foreigner. Cameroonian Bertrand Ngapunu played in Rostov, but they asked him from there. He sat without a command. Someone advised us, said that the person was looking: “Can you help?” We started offering it different clubs and managed to get a job at Anzhi. Dmitry Galyamin paid five thousand dollars between them. This happened in August 2005. The license with Malezhik was received in April.
– Didn’t you pay taxes?
- Certainly. Moreover, for the next year and a half there was nothing at all. We have no connections, we signed up young people, there was no arrival. I remember how we met in the evening at the Format shopping center on Yaroslavka. Oleg says: “###, San, p####ts, z#####o” - “Now is the transfer window. If we don’t earn anything, we quit.” And they earned it. We were recommended a guy from St. Petersburg. His name was Yegor Kvach - he was simply talented. They sold him to Saturn and received 20 thousand dollars (in 2013, Kvach ended his professional career; that season he played two matches in FC St. Petersburg from the PFL - website).
And the first big money came thanks to Yuri Gazzaev. He said: “Bring me a foreigner to KAMAZ. In the summer of 2006, we organized the passage of four Balkans - Petrovich, Grubestic, Todorovic and Zeba. We received normal cabbage - I bought a Toyota RAV4 for it. And I realized that this could be done seriously.
– Your client’s transfer with the largest commission?
– Igor Smolnikov during the transition from Krasnodar to Zenit. And Emin Makhmudov from Saturn to Spartak.
– In both cases, the commission is more than 500 thousand euros?
Why agents are good
– When you entered the business, did experienced agents not press you?
- At a minimum. There was already a huge piece of the football pie. He was bitten not like now - by a hundred agents, but by several people - Oleg Artemov, Pavel Andreev, Alexey Safonov, Arsen Minasov, Oleg Eremin. Those guys who received licenses before us. They had enough people who played in the Premier League. And here we are - without special connections. We decided that it was difficult to compete with monsters and began to sign promising and young players. No one paid attention to them then. And we have established relationships with the coaches of youth teams. Graduated in 1988 - we knew all the boys by heart until 1992.
– Let’s take the senior year of any top Moscow academy – are all the players from it now under contracts with agents?
- Yes. Maybe not on contracts, but everyone has agents. Our youngest client was born in 2003. In general, children begin to be monitored at the age of 12. They come to an agreement with them, the parents. With their consent, you can sign the contract at 14 years of age. Although it is not a fact that a person will become a professional. And it doesn’t bring money - we invest first.
I don’t consider myself a top agent, but even I now have five people who go to children’s tournaments, look at the boys, and talk to them. Andreev, Artemov, Tkachenko have the same thing.
– How does everything happen technologically? An agent comes to a tournament, sees a cool guy - approaches the parents and offers services?
- This is true. Communicates, explains what and how. If the team already has our client, word of mouth works - parents are more accommodating. The first time - there is a cold conversation.
We mainly go to the final stages of Russian championships and cups. Plus the Moscow championship, it is considered the strongest competition in the country. We also receive information from people who are friends with the agency.
– There is an opinion that at the children’s level in Russia there are a lot of talents of Messi’s level, but no one knows about them. Isn't that true?
- Certainly. If some boy appeared and began to show himself brightly, a queue of three or four clubs immediately formed behind him. And it doesn’t matter what region he’s from. Large agencies and communications academies in many places have entire departments working on recruitment.
– Why then does a 14-year-old person need an agent, if even without one there will be a queue of clubs for him?
– Even at this age, there should be a person nearby who understands this matter. Parents often deceive themselves. They think that they can arrange their son’s life, but in fact they are doing harm. Plus, the career of a football player is a delicate thing. Some misfortune happened and I ended up in a situation with a camera. In this case, you are given a lawyer from the state; the family does not have money for a paid one. And the end. It's another matter when you call an agent and he hires a quality lawyer whom he knows well.
A simple example. I have a guy from 2001 at one of the Moscow academies. Super talent. He was injured. The club says: “Sanya, we cannot operate on him because he is not under contract. Chance of recovery – 50%. Let's do this: we split the cost of the operation in half, the flight, recovery and everything else is on you. If he recovers, we will sign him and compensate for everything.”
- How much did you pay?
– The operation in the Italian “Villa Stewart” cost 10 thousand euros. I gave five. Tickets for him, mom, and myself - a thousand each. Restoration - another 40 thousand rubles, 70. I understand that I signed a contract with him, which means I bear responsibility. I understand the club too. They had several cases where they signed guys without an in-depth examination, and they ended up with injuries. It is clear that they are playing it safe. My boyfriend, by the way, is now starting to work in a general group.
– So the clubs even benefit from children’s agents?
- They are still afraid of them. There is different people– one develops a career as a football player, and receives dividends from this. The other pursues only his own goals - he knows about a profitable option for the player, but is unprofitable for himself and keeps silent.
I just have a boy with the club good relationship. They know that I won’t pull the player: “Hey, you’re not valued here, let’s go to Zenit.” Transfers in children's football make no sense. If this is a promotion from Mytishchi to CSKA - yes. But why run from Spartak to Dynamo and back? We never initiate this. On the contrary, a year ago I knocked on the door of Lokomotiv like crazy. They did not give a contract to Roma Tugarev, the most talented person in the youth team. Korneev just left, Panchenko hasn’t arrived yet - everyone gets to school at the same time. The guy could easily be taken anywhere. But I myself asked: “Make an agreement.”
How much do agents earn?
– I’m a young agent who signs children. I have nothing from them. Where to get money from?
- With a fixed salary. That's how it is at my agency. We pay 20 thousand rubles. This is a motivation system. Little money - purely for telephone and travel. The rest is buried in percentages, football players. If you want to earn money, work with good football players. Then everything depends on the person. More serious clients appear - you already earn money from them.
– Your agency’s client Marat Bystrov receives 140 thousand rubles a month. This is the level of the top 4 FNL. Even if 10 Bystrovs pay me 10%. These are the same 140 thousand.
-Will you live on them?
– Yes, but it’s not much.
- So keep working. The agency business is not quick money. You will always have enough to live on from what you collect from the football players. But the main money is the commission from the player’s transfer from club to club. Take Oleg Shigaev - he is a young agent, he receives good money for his age. But now he can earn much more due to two transfers - Bystrov from Tambov to Kazakhstan. And Komolov from Amkar - there are three proposals for him.
Pavel Komolov
– Your main income is commissions or payments from contracts?
- It's the second time. Very few transfers happen and agents are paid little. Due to the crisis, the market is dead. Previously, young people were bought, but now even in the Premier League they become free agents.
– Plus, your main client has been at Zenit for a long time.
– Our relationship with Igor is different from everyone else. In terms of finances, they are softer. Very far from 10%. After all, I am the godfather of his son, he is the godfather of mine. We are like brothers.
– The RFU regulations on the activities of agents do not contain information on their fees. It is written only about category D - no more than 10% of the salary. Can others receive any amount?
- Yes, as agreed. At least 20%, at least take half. The same applies to transfers. The commission from the club is in no way tied to the value of the player.
– The Russian Premier League recently announced the payment of clubs to agents for 2017. Krasnodar paid 17 thousand rubles. Does this happen?
- Quite. I don’t know the details, but usually the agent’s commission is included in the footballer’s money. In the lifts. Or they pay more. The player knows about this - he gives some of it away.
– Why not translate officially?
- Because of the new regulations. According to it, only licensed intermediaries can receive money from clubs. A Pro license costs 10 million rubles, each next year another 3.5 million. Most agents think it makes no sense to pay that much. Therefore, they work without a license, and receive commissions through football players.
– What is the point of such rules?
– Monopolization of the market. One top agent lobbied for this, but the system doesn’t work. The RFU does not have a mechanism to monitor transactions or punish clubs. They themselves know that they bypass almost all the rules. Only four people have an intermediary license - Pasha Andreev, Yura Zaitsev, Vadik Shpinev and one more person - he is new, he received it in the winter.
– It turns out that the list of payments to agents consists of payments to only four people?
- Yes. Even foreigners do not have the right to receive money from a Russian club without accreditation. They must pay 10 million RFU. Or negotiate with a Russian official intermediary to have the money transferred to him. And he will also take his percentage.
– How is the commission amount determined?
– Everything is dictated by the market. If there is a player who is needed by only one club, it is clear that you will not get anything from him. Just to accommodate it. If there is more than one applicant, you can talk. This is where you come to an agreement with management.
– Makhmudov, transfer to Spartak and more than half a million euros in commission. Is this a fair deal?
- Within the market.
- For Makhmudov?!
– At that time, the most talented football player in Russia. He made his bright debut at Saturn at the age of 18. Had a fantastic season. Plus, we gave Emin a significant portion of this money. They didn’t have to give it away, but they thought it was right to do so.
– Makhmudov is now at Neftchi. Let's imagine that he becomes an outsider in the RFPL. What is your commission?
– Depends on the relationship with coaches and managers. I am dealing with the affairs of Titov and Alenichev. They will say: “San, we don’t pay anything, we need him at Yenisei.” I’ll give it away for free, this is some kind of work for the future. If another club, then 50 thousand euros. Maximum – 100.
– 300 thousand – no? Or like Mordovia, which flew out and paid 400?
- Those days are long gone. Now there is really no money in football.
- Another case. Smolnikova takes Spartak.
“In the winter there was such a conversation. Then Igor hung up a little at Zenit, Mancini was not satisfied with him. And we considered the option with Krasnodar and Spartak. I asked: “If something goes wrong in St. Petersburg, are you interested in Igor?” “Spartak” replied: “Come on, come to us, we’ll think about it.”
– Now Zenit needs him, but, for example, Spartak also really wants him. Ask for a commission of a million?
– There is no adequate assessment here. If we know from the inside that they don’t count on Yeshchenko, Andrey has given up abruptly, the position is bare, then we can ask for a million, considering that Spartak is a rich club. But if Yeshchenko is fine, and Smolnikov is taken into competition, then if you go too far, Spartak will refuse. This will harm the player.
Igor could have already moved to Spartak, but a long time ago - after Torpedo. Then five offers came - “Moscow”, “Saturn”, “Lokomotiv”, CSKA and “Spartak”. But he really loved Loko, his student. He said that he wanted to return to his native club.
Are agents really nagging?
– “Sash, we need a defender from Africa. Bring some Negro. We have 400 thousand for this, we’ll split 200 with you.” How often do such offers come in?
- Now there is no such thing. Absolutely not.
- “Dynamo” bought Rausch that way. He came for 1.5 million euros, an additional 1.25 million left the club and was transferred to a company registered at the address of the general director.
- Let's look differently. Rausch plays in Cologne, he has offers from Hannover and Dynamo. “Dynamo” says to the agent: “I will pay you a good commission, and I will give the footballer a higher salary. Give him to us." The agent explains everything to the player. He answers: “Yes, I’m not young anymore, I’ll go to Russia.” The agent comes to the club: “Let’s include my commission in the lifting fees?” - “No, we can’t do that.” Or the footballer himself says: “I don’t want to touch this money, it’s better that you get it yourself somehow.” How to get them? A company is registered, a fee is paid to the RFU for a license, a contract is signed, Dynamo transfers the money. The fact that the office is registered at the address of the general director is not a crime.
– So it’s not a fact that the general director got a refund?
– I don’t know.. I became the fourth accredited intermediary in the country.
– Another transfer to Dynamo – Tetteh from Lech. There were strange technical requirements: height - at least 173 centimeters, age - 25-29 years. Are players really searched for using these parameters?
– There is no technical specification as such. Everything is simpler. I'm the head of the club, you're the agent. I say: “We need a left-back” - “Which one?” – “To be at least 170 tall, we don’t want midgets. Quick, with a good left hand” – “Okay”. And you start offering options. Someone interested me. You bargain: “I want a million for it” - “What? I can give you 100” – “500” – “No, 200” – “300” – “Deal with each other.” After the transaction, I draw up a certificate of completion of work. I need to write something in it. That’s why I’m writing that the club has received an application for a player with such and such parameters and playing conditions.
- In short, there is no corruption among agents now?
“Even before, I don’t know why I existed.”
- How for what? There is budget money in some Amkar. I really can’t get them out, I use an agent for this, whom I pay, and he will roll it back.
– Agents can no longer be paid from budget money. Only from extra-budgetary ones - sponsorships. You can dispose of them as you wish. But often clubs don’t have them.
– Okay, I don’t pay the agent directly, but I put his commission and kickback into the player’s allowance.
-You are a talented swindler.
- Why don’t they use this?
– A lot of people are starting to know. If the agent and the manager agreed, they hushed it up immediately. And a football player can shake things up. There is already criminal liability here.
– In Russia it often does not occur. They know a lot about it, but they haven’t jailed anyone.
– Previously, they also said that the organization of an organized crime group is an unprovable article. Only a few people are already sitting.
- Because it is necessary. No agents needed.
- Bye. People don't want to take risks.
- Let's do it again. Have you been offered to participate in a corruption scheme?
– (Smiles – website).
- Was?
- I won’t tell.
How agents negotiate
– You once worked as Arsenal’s sporting director for a year.
– It was very difficult. There was no understanding with management. This is not a job, but an existence.
– What to do if the transfer budget is zero?
– Invite free agents. Plus they didn’t pay a commission, but they could give a slightly higher salary. When I first arrived, it was the summer window. Alenichev gave a list of eight candidates. Six of them passed. Only Grisha Chirkin was not taken - Anzhi gave him more money. And Abazov - he went to Rostov.
We did a good job in winter. I flew to Samar to see Jan Mucha. He convinced me to take a pay cut. He moved on and delivered a masterpiece ending to the season. I flew to Khagush in BATE. But with Bechirai it almost didn’t work out. Fatos's contract in China for 500 thousand dollars a year has ended. I flew to Vienna, where Montenegro played Austria. Maryana Kashchelan introduced me to him, we held negotiations. He named the conditions. They turned out to be acceptable - three players received that kind of money at Arsenal. They could easily pay. But the agent asked for 50 thousand euros. The management thought for a long time whether to pay them or not. In the end it was refused. Bechiray moved to Dynamo Minsk, then ended up in Moscow.
– How much did you earn at Arsenal?
- How?
– We agreed that to save money, I work without a salary. If we sell someone, 20% of the amount goes to me.
– There is no selection service at Ufa. But I heard that the club doesn’t need scouts at all. Transfers happen differently. For example, Carrera wants a right-back and is recruiting Trabucchi. Marco looks out of his own or calls familiar agents in different countries and asks for their defender. And no scouts. Does everyone work like this?
– Depends on the club. In Spartak - just as you said. Not so at CSKA. There, a football player is really a candidate for the scouting service. Scouts and agents work at Krasnodar - and rightly so.
Ideally, this is what happens. For example, the Eurosport team knows that Maniakov is aware of everything. He says: “We need a player.” At this time, scouts are also looking for him.. I call: “Listen, Sanya Golovin is a good defender, let’s bring him to you” - “Why him?” - “He’s ready to move.” Eurosport goes to the scouts. They propose their candidacy or say: “Oh, Golovin is super!” And they enter into negotiations.
We must understand that it is unrealistic to cover everything with the scouting service. I am Zhenya Chernov's agent. Let’s say I find out that his position at Zenit is shaky. Malafeev calls me and says: “Sasha, we’re breaking up.” I immediately get involved and start offering it to the leaders of other clubs. They send the candidate to their people, make a decision and give an answer. This is a few days. At the same time, the scouting service of the conditional London Arsenal does not know about this. Because only the agent is aware of the player’s situation at the club.
– Why does Spartak often buy through agents?
- Question for them. So it's so convenient. Although they also have scouts. And they offer good candidates. Jamaican Leon Bailey currently plays for Bayer. They want to buy it in England. And when he was still playing in Belgium, he was led by Spartak. Could become the second Promes. They didn’t take him, but the man will soon be in a top club. And there are many such examples. Scouts recommend it to clubs, but they refuse, and the player then becomes a top player. But there are also opposite cases. The agent brought the guy from good championship, and that one is none.
– Does CSKA not communicate with agents at all?
- Well, no, there is a connection. I have contact with the head of the breeding service, Maxim Dyukov. I called: “Who do you need?” - “Only Russian and young.” I give the schedule. Maxim cannot call Zenit directly and ask: “What do you have about Chernov?” Because they will answer him: “You know, nothing.” And through me you can really find out information.
– Do they call you more often or do you offer clients?
- We used to. Now it's two-way traffic. But if my player is looking for a team, then, of course, I call.
– What is the most difficult thing in negotiations?
– Agree on the commission. Transitions have not yet been disrupted because of this. But Galitsky once personally called: “San, I won’t give you anything.” He was hooked that I was demanding something. In the end I didn’t pay, but that’s how it works.
Sergei Nikolaich is simple in terms of communication. I constantly suggested Makhmudov to Krasnodar when he played in Spartak. One day I was driving a car and Khashig called: “Well, what’s wrong with your Emin?” - “I’m waiting for a call from you.” He starts a conference call with Galitsky: “Sash, hello? Tell me your opinion." I'm starting to make arguments. “I understand, I heard you, I’ll call you back.” Emin turned out to be uninteresting, but the point is that Galitsky immediately turns on. He could have said to Khashig: “Vadim, talk to yourself.” And then I talked in person. Fedun and Giner would hardly have talked to the agent.
– You mentioned Chernov several times. Is he talented?
– In winter, Spartak and Krasnodar were interested in him. They themselves asked: “Voice the conditions under which he can transfer.” But Zhenya decided to stay in Tosno until the summer.
Do agents help football players?
– What is the most common request from clients?
- Borrow money. Once I gave a guy two million rubles for a car. His salary was 900 thousand, but he wanted four million. I saved two and borrowed two. And I bought an X6.
– Are the football players turned around in cars?
- Less now. Earlier different stories happened. Karpin told me one. He is the coach of Spartak, the end of the season, all the midfielders are breaking down. The understudies trained with the base, and he directed them. One guy had a ladder in his contract. He receives five thousand dollars, plays five matches - it reaches 10, then 12, 15, 20. He comes up: “Valery Georgich, I need to raise my salary” - “You already have 12, how much more?” – “I don’t have enough” – “Just a second. Where do you live? - “At the base” - “Do you have a wife?” - “No” - “Children?” - “No” - “Are you missing 12 thousand dollars?” - “Yes. I got myself a new car." Then the same football player played on another team and rode in a car for 40 thousand dollars. At the same time, he did not have an apartment.
– What is your most unusual request?
- “Buy snus, because they don’t sell it here.” I brought it. The client's desire is the law.
– What if it’s coke?
- No. It's taboo.
– Did you ask prostitutes for a ride?
- Not once. Now the generation of players is more professional. Previously, the whole team could join the club. Now alone, so that no one notices. Although there are still those who receive a salary and play truant with friends. He plays in a regional club, he is a graduate of the Moscow Academy. The tour ends, he goes to Moscow for the weekend - restaurants, girlfriends. Two days later he comes back - half a million is gone. This is Premier League level.
- About chicks. I heard that among football players there is a list of girls from show business who can be hired for money.
- There is such a thing, they told me. I didn’t see the names, but one football player said: “Can you imagine? Even this happens." You pay grandma and you can bring some girl from TV.
– A player with great potential who was not revealed due to partying?
– Misha Svetozarov played in “Loko”-88 - he is extremely gifted (for the last three seasons he has been playing for “Okean” from Kerch in the Crimean Championship - website).. But at a young age, cigarettes and girlfriends started. One guy always stuck to AUE. Young, played in the Moscow region in the PFL. About two years ago, in a fight, he stabbed a man and sat down.
There are a lot of people who got burned playing slot machines. We recently met with Arsen Minasov, he told the player’s story. When Arsene signed him, he was talented. Simply top. Spartak bought him from another team for a double. I paid money for the young man! He played in the youth team, then got worse and worse. Arsen was taken from Russia - to one country, then another. Finally finished. Now he calls Minasov: “Give me money.” He sits tight on the bets.
The other client is mine. He showed promise and was part of the 1995 national team. But my career didn’t work out because f###o. I gave up football, lived in Yekaterinburg, and went to the post office. It turns out that the cops are slowing down. They opened the package - it contained cocaine. Now under investigation as a distributor.
– Have you ever encountered any wild hobbies?
– This is Denis Boyarintsev. Without scuba gear, he dives underwater and hunts there. Vadik Evseev always hounded him: “What, you see a puddle, dive in and mess around there?” Although this is no laughing matter - it is dangerous, there are many deaths. Oxygen is running out, what if it gets caught on something? Immediately panic begins.
– Super well-read football player?
– Igor Smolnikov. I learned English on my own and studied with a tutor via Skype. Speaks freely. I went to London for an operation, talked with doctors, knows all the terms. Moreover, he taught for himself, although there was an idea to go to Europe.
Zhenya Bashkirov is something. Theatre, cinema, books, music. One day we sat and talked about it for three hours. He talked about the St. Petersburg theater, where performances last 6-7 hours. People eat during the performance. One time I was sick and watched films. He writes: “The Revenant” with DiCaprio is a must watch” – “Zhenya, I’ve already watched it.” He sketches books periodically: “Read this, this.” Moreover, he recommends unknown authors. Curzio Malaparte. Romain Gary.
Evgeniy Bashkirov
– Do clients talk about agreements?
- We don’t discuss. Taboo for me. I'm not involved in this.
– Chugainov accused your client goalkeeper Skornyakov of giving up the match.
– I know Lekha and his family very well. It's an accident.
– Are two goals through your hands an accident?
- He is incapable of this.
– Why did you take him to Arsenal after that?
- Not me. Then two goalkeepers came to watch – he and Revyakin. Sasha Filimonov is close friends with Revyakin’s agents. But I looked at both and chose Lekha.
– Are you being threatened because of your work?
- Happens. Former clients call, with whom they did not part very well: “I have friends, they will call you.” The last case - a guy called: “I was told to move to another club, but without you. I’ve made my decision, I’m moving on, thank you.” We promised him a portion of the agency fee when he first joined the current team. And they decided not to give it away. If he betrayed him, then why? He’s like: “Here, they’ll come to you, you’ll have to deal with it” - “Just warn people, we also have claims against you. And tell me how you did.” In the end, no one came.
Football players always have the right to choose. I tell them: “If you don’t want to work with me, tell me to my face. We will meet with your future agent and discuss everything. Just don’t throw it away, it makes you angry.” This is how they say in one club now: “Either you leave your agent, or you won’t play for us” - “I’m tearing it up, I want it from you.” The player calls and tells us about it. I answer: “We didn’t receive a penny from you, but we provided services for a certain amount.”
– Does crime revolve around agents?
- Yes, still. Each agent belongs to some community of people.
– Who are you visiting?
– I don’t want to talk about it.
– But there are people above you too?
- Not above us. There are simply people - my friends - who help in this business.
- Are they protecting?
– You can’t say that. The roof is when you are making tea, I come and say: “Pay” - “Fuck you.” And your car caught fire or skidded somewhere in the entrance. You write to the police - they can’t find me. Here you understand that it is better to pay. Because then I will smear you away from others like you. But now there is no such thing.
- What is there?
– I’m 42 years old, I grew up on the outskirts of Mytishchi. You understand that I have friends from childhood. I can come to them and tell them about issues that I myself am not able to solve. But these are friends. I don't bash them.
– How does an agent live if there are no friends?
- Floundering at the bottom - the second league, the first. To big money difficult to get to. The football players will be pushed out because there is no mechanism to hold them back. Of the ten, five will remain. When there are friends, seven remain.
– How can friends influence a football player to stay?
- Yes, they can.
- Should I talk?
- Yes. But usually I do the talking myself.
– The last time you used your connections?
- Recently. One RFPL club told the player: “Either you break the contract with the agent, or you leave.” They wanted everyone on the team to become under their control. We met with the manager, the conversation turned out to be constructive. They heard each other, he understood who I was friends with. I hope this doesn't happen again.
Carrera, Alenichev
- Who best agent Russia?
– German Tkachenko and Oleg Artemov’s group. Oleg is the main person, but there are still people behind him. Both have serious connections in the management of the clubs. They also communicate at the federal level - with people from the government, governors. German also speaks very interestingly. Not just: “Look at the football player.”
– Tell us about Behemoth (Timur Gurtskaya – website). He is considered a shadow agent who influences the entire Russian football.
- Timur? Well, it doesn’t affect everything. This is an exaggeration...
“They say he gets a percentage of most deals in the Premier League.
- Hardly. He receives only from those who contact him. Basically it's Spartak. I don’t know the essence of his business, but he has been in football for a long time. Appeared before me. A former basketball player himself. A fairly intelligent person, he acts as a consultant. He doesn’t have his own players, but he doesn’t need them.
– What’s that like a consultant?
– He communicates, finds out information, and can present it differently than they are used to at the club. He knows more because he is inside the system. Plus they trust him at Spartak. His expert opinion on the players, the situation, and finances is valued there. There's nothing wrong with that. Alenichev is consulting with me. And with him - Spartak.
– He participated in the transfer of Melgarejo from Kuban. Why do you need a consultant in this case?
- Suppose Spartak says: “Find out everything about Melgarejo, what is possible and what is not.” The club itself will never know what real offers are on the side. And Timur breaks through his channels. For example, he calls me: “San, is it true that these people are interested in Melgarejo?” - “Nonsense.” And so with several people. Then he conveys the information: “He doesn’t go there, he goes there, they give him such and such money.” Then he meets with the player - the club has no right if the person has contact. And enters into negotiations.
– Trabucchi and Spartak – is it a normal story that the club buys all the people through a friend of the head coach?
– Absolutely normal, if it suits the shareholders. This exists abroad. An example is Guardiola's brother. The rules of the game are discussed - who gets what and how much from it - and the work begins.
– Does Carrera have anything to do with this?
- Hardly. He has a good contract and values his name.
– Gerkus says that the normal system is when the club buys players itself, and the coach works with them.
- This is not normal. Each player must agree with the coach. There are five candidates, the coach chooses from them.
- The system is working. Semin didn’t want Farfan, but he became the best player.
- Let's watch the second season and draw conclusions. It helped in the short term.
– Smolnikov’s salary is 2.2 million euros. This is fine?
- No comments.
– How much would they give him in Europe?
– There were offers from the Premier League. Not specific, but Leicester considered Igor before the championship. We talked about Sunderland. And the salaries there, even among outsiders, are comparable to Zenit. But we then decided that there was no point in moving. Swap the Champions League anthem and the fight for the championship for some outback?
– To a full stadium at all matches. Constant games with Manchester United and Chelsea.
– At that time, there was a high probability that he might be interested in big club. On the one hand, this happened even if he played in England. On the other hand, we bet on two European campaigns - the Champions League and Euro 2016. But in the first case, Igor broke down in December. In the second, he didn’t play very well.
– But mostly people don’t want to leave?
- They want to. And they are ready to go down. Makhmudov did just that. In “Wings” he received more than 15 thousand euros, in “Boavista” he went for four. I really wanted to play in Europe. But there was a hassle with a visa for my wife and child. The club abandoned him; no one was working on him. It's just not always Europe better than Russia. The same Portuguese championship is weaker than the RFPL. There are only four teams, the rest are not the same.
- Will Golovin leave?
– We are working on this. Oleg Artemov is studying. And the guide to Europe, I think, is Oleg Yarovinsky. He is well known there; he has worked for a long time with the Czech agency Viktor Kolář. I called Artemov back in early May. He named the countries: England, Italy, Germany. There is real interest from there - they received direct calls from these countries. Plus, it’s convenient that the player himself doesn’t lose anything when moving. I don’t think that at CSKA he has a salary that they won’t give there. Therefore, the probability of a deal this summer is 75 percent.
– You are an agent of Titov and Alenichev.
– I am the person who helps them.
– Alenichev completely discredited himself in Spartak.
- Complete nonsense. I think that the team leaders did not trust him and did not support him. He did great job. Selection is not only recruitment, it is also separation. He cleared out Spartak. Those players who appeared under him are real leaders. Three players were chosen for the position of defensive midfielder - Diarra, the Brazilian himself and someone else. They took Fernando, Alenichev took him. And he became a leader. It’s just important that all systems interact in the club. This didn’t happen at Arsenal, so they were relegated. “Spartak” is the same.
– Alenichev and Titov were drinking at the Spartak training camp and the losers went out to train.
“They can drink beer, but they can’t go out to practice drunk. This is 100%.
Photo: instagram.com/manyakov_av(1-5,8,11,12,14,16,19); fc-zenit.ru; RIA Novosti /Alexey Filippov, Vitaly Belousov;
1. Oleg Artyomov (Dr. Oliver Wendt & Tomas Zorn)
VIP clients: Andrey Arshavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Alexander Samedov.
Oleg Artyomov received an agent license in 2004, and since then his client base has been constantly expanding. And it all started with representing the interests of Spartak’s backup Nikolai Abramov. He knows Pavel Pogrebnyak from the red-white reserves, whom he later helped end up in Zenit, and even later in Europe. Now Artyomov works with almost all Russian “Europeans” - former (Pavlyuchenko) and current
(Arshavin, Pogrebnyak, Adamov). In addition, the agent’s base club can be called Lokomotiv, where almost half of the roster are his clients. In Russia, Artyomov represents the interests of the German agency Dr. Oliver Wendt & Tomas Zorn, who appeared in the so-called “Pryadkin case”.
2. Pavel Andreev (P.A.F.A)
VIP clients: Igor Denisov, Vladimir Bystrov, Dmitry Kombarov, Kirill Kombarov, Anton Shunin, Alexander Anyukov.
One of the first agents on Russian market. He became widely known thanks to his first client, Dmitry Sychev, with whom he works to this day. His interests were also closely connected with Zenit - Andreev collaborated with young (at that time) players St. Petersburg club, was busy with school. Arshavin was also his client, but the agent and the football player parted ways when Andrei had a burning desire to go to Europe. Now among Andreev’s clients there are still several Zenit leaders. His most authoritative ward is Igor Denisov.
3. ProSports Management ()
VIP clients: Alexander Kerzhakov, Andrey Yarmolenko, Sergey Ignashevich, Alexander Aliev.
The company was founded by German Tkachenko back in 2005 and is one of the most famous on the Russian market. Required management experience football business Tkachenko received connections and first clients while leading the Samara “Wings” for six years. Since then, he has been working with Kolodin, Leilton, and previously with Andrei Tikhonov, until he ended his playing career. In addition to agency activities, he is currently busy with an ambitious project called “Anji” - as a member of the club’s board of directors, he is involved in both selection and brand promotion. Among the clients of his company, in which, in addition to Tkachenko himself, several other agents work, are Alexander Kerzhakov, Sergei Ignashevich, and a number of famous Ukrainian players. Among the youth - Shatov and Logashov, Smolov and Yusupov.
4. Agency "SA" ()
VIP clients: Artyom Dzyuba, Vladimir Granat, Sergei Ryzhikov, Georgy Shchennikov.
Alexey Safonov's agency deliberately focuses on young football players, although among its clients there are also more experienced ones - Sergei Ryzhikov, Alexey Medvedev, Alexander Kharitonov. As for youth, “SA” works both with the closest reserve of the Russian national team, and with very young and unknown players taking their first steps in big football. It is no coincidence that the agency’s strategic partner is the Chertanovo school.
5. ASA International (Arsen Minasov)
VIP clients: Roman Shirokov, Konstantin Zyryanov, Vladislav Kulik, Vedran Chorluka, Ognen Vukoevich.
There are not many Russian stars of the first magnitude among Minasov’s clients - Zyryanov and Shirokov. However, ASA also works on the international market, primarily with Croatian players. The agency's services are used by Luka Modric, as well as two recent newcomers Russian teams- “railroad worker” Chorluka and Spartak player Vukoevich.
6.
VIP clients: Andrey Voronin, Dmitry Bulykin.
The Ukrainian agent came to Russia not so long ago, and the list of his players is not very large, but they are very famous football players. The most famous of his clients, Andrei Voronin, is soon to return to the Premier League. And Dmitry Bulykin, not without the help of Golovash, found a second youth in Europe.
7. Oleg Yarovinsky (SPORT INVEST International)
VIP clients: Marek Suchy, Martin Jiranek, Jan Golenda.
Yarovinsky represents on the Russian market international agency SPORT INVEST, whose main clients are Czech players, including Petr Cech. His players in the Premier League are Jiranek from Terek, Sukhi from Spartak and Golenda from Rostov. Other Czech players
coming to Russian clubs, will also probably become Yarovinsky’s clients.
8. Vitaly Kaloev
VIP clients: Alexey Ionov, Anton Sosnin.
Kaloev’s main specialization is Zenit youth. In recent years, she rarely makes it into the main team of the club, so now Vitaly’s clients are not playing in St. Petersburg. The most famous, Sosnin and Ionov, are in Kuban. At one time, Kaloev helped Alan Kasaev gain playing practice.
9.
VIP clients: Artyom Milevsky, Ivan Solovyov.
Lahter's reputation is very ambiguous, and the list of his official clients is at the moment consists of two surnames. At the same time, Dennis’s style of work on the Russian market is exactly this – he came, provided a transfer, and left. Arshavin and Aliyev did not have the kindest memories of him, but Lahter helped the first to go to Arsenal, the second to Lokomotiv. His latest high-profile achievement is the transfer of young talent Ivan Solovyov from Dynamo to Zenit as a free agent.
