A lawyer by training and the heir to Mino Raiola’s client portfolio, Rafaela Pimenta has become one of the most powerful FIFA agents in the transfer market. Discover her career, the players she represents, and her influence in international soccer.
Last updated: 03/20/2026
Within the ecosystem of the soccer transfer market, players’ names tend to dominate the spotlight, but other key figures also play an essential role, including sports agents. Among them, and especially among women, Rafaela Pimenta, a FIFA-licensed agent, is one of the most well-known figures in the sport.
Her rise is no accident. She fully embodies a new generation of player agents capable of operating in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment, particularly since the introduction of the FIFA agent exam.
Let’s now take a closer look at who Rafaela Pimenta is, her career path, and the international players she represents.
Rafaela Pimenta is a Brazilian soccer agent and lawyer. For more than 20 years, she has been involved in some of Europe’s biggest transfer deals and is widely recognized for her exceptional negotiation skills. Rafaela has become extremely influential in the world of soccer and is widely regarded as the most influential woman in the world of sports agents.
Like Israeli agent Pini Zahavi, she is known for maintaining a low media profile. Rafaela has built her reputation on her legal expertise and her ability to negotiate major deals. In the soccer transfer market, where player contracts are growing ever more impressive, the Brazilian has distinguished herself through her strong technical expertise.
Rafaela Pimenta was born in 1973 in Brazil. She is now 53 years old.
This age reflects the professional maturity of the Brazilian agent, an important asset in a sector where experience, stability, and credibility are essential for handling complex cases involving professional players.
Rafaela Pimenta’s professional journey initially began as that of a specialized lawyer before she gradually made her way into the most influential circles of soccer. She later entered the world of player representation, a move that effectively marked her transition from lawyer to FIFA agent.
Rafaela Pimenta started studying law with a specialization in international law. In modern soccer, player transfers often involve multiple countries and therefore different tax and regulatory systems.
Rafaela Pimenta’s academic background therefore allowed her to develop key skills required for the role of a FIFA agent:
This technical knowledge base has been one of Rafaela's strengths during her career as a soccer agent.
In the early 2000s, Rafaela Pimenta joined a player agency active in the European soccer transfer market. She was initially employed as a legal expert to secure contracts and optimise regulatory arrangements.
At the same time, the transfer market was experiencing strong financial growth: contract values kept rising, while clauses and FIFA regulations were becoming increasingly complex. The role of the Brazilian agent also evolved, and she soon found herself directly involved in negotiating international transfers and contractual discussions with Europe’s biggest clubs.
Over time, she established herself as a leading negotiator, involved in high-value transfer deals as well as agreements related to image rights. In her negotiations, Rafaela favors in-depth work and direct relationships with club sporting directors.
The role of a player agent has changed significantly in recent years, especially with the introduction of a mandatory FIFA agent license to work in the profession. This regulatory framework is now much stricter.
Rafaela Pimenta’s profile appears particularly well suited to FIFA’s new requirements of for player representation.
Mino Raiola was widely regarded as one of the most influential and controversial player agents in the soccer world. Born in the Netherlands and of Italian origin, the sports agent established himself as a major figure in the transfer market for more than twenty years. Mino Raiola was widely known for his direct style and headline-grabbing negotiations in defense of his players’ interests.
The death of iconic sports agent Mino Raiola marked a turning point in the soccer agent market. He had one of the largest client portfolios in world soccer and notably represented:
Rafaela Pimenta, who was working within Mino Raiola’s agency at the time, took over his client portfolio to ensure continuity in the operations underway. This transition was built around three key factors:
This development reinforced her credibility, stability, and regulatory expertise, further cementing Rafaela Pimenta’s position among the most influential agents in the world.
Rafaela Pimenta's client portfolio is largely inherited from Mino Raiola. Among the players represented by the Brazilian agent are several of the biggest names in world soccer. Most of them are professional players from some of Europe’s top teams, but her portfolio also includes a renowned coach.
Here are the greatest players and coaches that Rafaela Pimenta represents or has represented during her career:
Currently one of the most highly valued players in the world (around $230 million), the Norwegian striker is undoubtedly the most emblematic player represented by Rafaela Pimenta.
Considered one of the top scorers in the world, the Citizen keeps breaking records with his club. At only 25 years old, he already ranks among the top 10 scorers in the history of the UEFA Champions League, having scored 56 goals in 56 appearances.
Thanks to his outstanding performances and strong market value, Haaland represents a strategic client who reinforces Rafaela Pimenta’s international influence in the transfer market.
Matthijs de Ligt quickly established himself as a world-class defender early in his career. He first gained international recognition with Ajax Amsterdam, his youth club, during the 2019 UEFA Champions League. That season, he helped lead the Dutch side to the semifinals, defeating Real Madrid, the defending champions, and Juventus, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Dutch defender has gone through the biggest clubs in Europe, Juventus and Bayern Munich, and he now plays for Manchester United.
The management of his career by Rafaela Pimenta reflects a trajectory focused on consistent growth at the highest level of European soccer, with total transfer fees exceeding $226 million.
The AS Monaco midfielder was for many years one of the key players represented by the Brazilian agent, before eventually choosing to be represented by his own entourage. Paul Pogba, a 2018 World Cup champion, notably made headlines in the transfer market with his return to Manchester United in 2016 for a fee exceeding $115 million from Juventus.
Considered one of France's most spectacular and media-exposed midfielders, Pogba helped boost Rafaela Pimenta's international visibility.
Marco Verratti, a legend of Paris Saint-Germain, was for many years considered one of the best midfielders in the world, particularly thanks to his ability to retain possession in all kinds of situations.
He now plays in Qatar for Al-Duhail SC. A return to the Italian national team for the midfielder has been mentioned ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Marco Verratti is still represented by Rafaela Pimenta for the management of his professional career.
Arne Slot took charge of Liverpool FC following the departure of Jürgen Klopp. Although he appears to be facing some challenges this season with many new players in his squad, he led his team to a Premier League title last year.
The fact that Rafaela Pimenta represents a world-class coach highlights that her influence goes beyond player representation. By also representing coaches, she broadens her position within the ecosystem of professional soccer.
Although the soccer world remains largely dominated by male figures, Rafaela Pimenta has established herself as one of the most influential women in the soccer agent market. Beyond her reputation, her status is supported by several concrete factors, such as:
Moreover, with the introduction of the FIFA agent exam and the mandatory license required to practice the profession, the Brazilian agent’s legal expertise represents a decisive advantage.
Rafaela Pimenta’s net worth is often a topic of discussion due to the high transfer fees of the players she represents. No official figure has been disclosed, but it is possible to understand the mechanisms behind it to get a general idea.
A FIFA agent generally earns a percentage of the player’s salary, a commission on the transfer fee, and sometimes a share related to image rights.
Considering the player transfers the Brazilian agent has been involved in and the market value of the players still represented by her agency, some estimates place her net worth between $46 million and $69 million.
Rafaela Pimenta has established herself as one of the most influential figures in the FIFA agent market. Thanks to her legal expertise, the takeover of Mino Raiola’s client portfolio, and the management of world-class players such as Erling Haaland and Matthijs de Ligt, she now plays a central role in the biggest negotiations in European soccer.
Her influence is based both on the market value of the players she represents and on her credibility with the world’s biggest clubs.
At a time when the FIFA agent license and exam have become mandatory, her profile reflects the evolution of the player agent profession toward a stricter regulatory framework. Rafaela Pimenta embodies a new generation of agents capable of combining legal expertise, international vision, and strong negotiating power at the highest level of world soccer.
