Vlado Lemic, a former Yugoslav player who became one of the most influential intermediaries in the European transfer market. From Mateja Kežman to Luka Modrić by way of Alexander Isak, this behind-the-scenes sporting advisor has shaped some of the biggest deals in soccer without ever holding a FIFA agent license. An unconventional profile that sheds light on the line between influence and regulatory framework, at the very heart of the profession the FIFA agent exam prepares you for.
Last updated: 08/07/2026
Vlado Lemic never shone on the field and appears on no official list of licensed FIFA agents.
Yet Vlado Lemic has influenced some of the most significant transfers in European soccer in recent years. By representing players such as Mateja Kežman and Luka Modrić, and by handling the complex Alexander Isak situation in the summer of 2025, the Serbian agent has established himself as an influential figure in the transfer market.
Vlado Lemic was a modest player who became a top-level intermediary, capable of connecting locker rooms, sporting directors, and club owners across the entire continent. Vlado's journey shows how a network is built and how influence is negotiated behind the scenes, but also where the line lies between sporting advice and the regulated profession of a licensed agent.
Let's take a closer look at Vlado Lemic's trajectory, how he became a player agent, and the major transfers that made his reputation.
Vladica "Vlado" Lemic was born in 1966 in Zagreb, formerly the capital of the Socialist Republic of Croatia within Yugoslavia. A Serbian national, he today lives mainly in Herenthout, Belgium. It is from this town that, for more than twenty years, he has been developing a network stretching from South America to England.
Within the world of agents, he is described as a behind-the-scenes operator. His reputation rests not on a media presence but on his ability to connect players, buying clubs, and decision-makers. He is today the manager of the agency Universal Twenty Two, based in Barcelona.
It is important to point out that Vlado Lemic does not hold a FIFA agent license. He presents himself as an advisor and works in collaboration with licensed partners, including his brother Zoran as well as other recognized intermediaries.
A midfielder, Vlado Lemic spent the majority of his career at Borac Banja Luka, in the Yugoslav second division. He had a modest career, with the exception of one particular match.
On May 11, 1988, at the Marakana Stadium in Belgrade, Borac played the final of the Yugoslav Cup against Red Star Belgrade. A heavy underdog, the Banja Luka side pulled off a surprise by winning 1-0. It was the first and only time that a club playing outside the top flight won this Cup. Lemic came on only in the final two minutes, replacing the match's goalscorer, but he still walked away with the trophy — a moment that would mark a turning point in his career.
Thanks to this exposure, he first joined the club KFC Herentals, before reaching the Belgian first division with Lierse SK, coached by Eric Gerets. It was this encounter with the future PSV Eindhoven manager that would shape his career as a player agent.
In 1999, at the age of 33, Vlado Lemic entered the transfer market. Eric Gerets had just been appointed head coach of PSV Eindhoven, and Lemic followed him into this new venture, where he was joined by Ranko Stojić, a more experienced agent. Vlado began bringing players to the club and grew closer to sporting director Frank Arnesen.
His first big coup was the player Mateja Kežman. In the summer of 2000, the Serbian striker left Partizan Belgrade for PSV for approximately 27 million German marks, close to €14 million (about $15 million) at the time. Kežman exploded, finished as the league's top scorer, and delivered the title to the club in his very first season. This deal allowed Vlado to gradually establish himself with the PSV Eindhoven leadership.
In the following years, PSV became a hub for his dealings. Through his brother Zoran, an agent based in South America, the club recruited Brazilian and Peruvian talents such as goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and winger Jefferson Farfán. Lemic also set up an arrangement with Chelsea F.C. that allowed the English club to route certain signings through PSV while they obtained their British work permits. This was the case for players such as Alex, Alcides, and Slobodan Rajković.
Present almost daily at the De Herdgang training center, he became a direct point of contact for the club's leadership, eventually growing closer to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea F.C.
In 2007, the arrival of managing director Jan Reker affected Lemic's professional standing. A conflict broke out over the collapsed move of Ecuadorian Édison Méndez, a Lemic client, and it took a public turn. In the summer of 2008, the advisor was banned from the training center, without any wrongdoing being proven against him. Several of his clients left the club soon afterward. Vlado Lemic then rebuilt his network elsewhere, particularly around Real Madrid, Chelsea F.C., and Hamburg.
In May 2008, Roman Abramovich called on him to help find a successor to Avram Grant at Chelsea F.C. Lemic established contact with Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan) and Luciano Spalletti (AS Roma), but the job went to Luiz Felipe Scolari. He then intensified his collaboration with Frank Arnesen, sporting director of Chelsea F.C., alongside Predrag Mijatović. When Arnesen left for Hamburg, Mijatović was for a time tipped to succeed him at Chelsea F.C., a role ultimately given to Michael Emenalo.
After PSV, Vlado Lemic became an intermediary of continental scale. His relationship with Predrag Mijatović, a former Real Madrid player who had moved into the club's sporting management, opened the door to the Madrid leadership for him.
| Year | Player | Club Left | New Club | Estimated Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mateja Kežman | Partizan Belgrade | PSV Eindhoven | ~27M DM (≈ €14 million / $15 million) |
| 2007 | Royston Drenthe | Feyenoord | Real Madrid | €14 million ($15 million) |
| 2008 | Branislav Ivanović | Lokomotiv Moscow | Chelsea F.C. | ~£9.7 million (≈ €12 million / $13 million) |
| 2009 | Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | Ajax | Real Madrid | €27 million ($30 million) |
| 2011 | Samuel Eto'o | Inter Milan | Anzhi Makhachkala | ~€27 million ($30 million) |
| 2012 | Luka Modrić | Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | Real Madrid | ~£33 million (≈ €35 million / $40 million) |
| 2018 | Mateo Kovačić | Real Madrid | Chelsea F.C. | loan |
The most emblematic case remains the move of Luka Modrić from Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to Real Madrid in the summer of 2012, for approximately £33 million. Lemic was one of the key intermediaries in a transfer process that lasted several months, acting as a facilitator with the Madrid decision-makers. The Croatian's contract included a release clause set at around £387 million.
Lemic first reached an agreement with Davor Ćurković, Modrić's principal agent, before gaining access to Real Madrid's coaching staff through Mijatović — including José Mourinho, via his agent Jorge Mendes. In the summer of 2011, the same Lemic–Mijatović duo led the negotiations for the move of Samuel Eto'o from Inter Milan to Anzhi Makhachkala.
His name resurfaced more recently with the Alexander Isak move in the summer of 2025. Lemic was among the advisors to the Swedish striker during his negotiations with Newcastle United F.C. It concluded with a move to Liverpool F.C. for £125 million (approximately €145 million / $160 million), a British record.
Beyond the major transfers, Vlado Lemic has worked with a wide range of soccer players over the course of his career. Over more than twenty years, the name of Vlado Lemic has been associated with numerous Serbo-Croatian players (Mateja Kežman, Branislav Ivanović, Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić) as well as with a South American pipeline, fed in particular by his brother Zoran (Heurelho Gomes, Jefferson Farfán, Jonathan Reis, Alex).
Today, several players feature in the portfolio of the agency Universal Twenty Two, within which he operates. The portfolio reflects the agency's dual identity. On one side, a global superstar and a World Cup–winning goalkeeper in Alexander Isak and Emiliano Martínez. On the other, young Argentine talents in Santiago Hidalgo and Tomás Jacob, in continuity with the historic South American pipeline. This operating method has remained constant for Lemic, who rarely positions himself as a player's sole representative and most often acts as an additional intermediary.
Born in Sweden to Eritrean parents, Alexander Isak came up through AIK Solna before joining Borussia Dortmund and then establishing himself at Real Sociedad. Newcastle United F.C. signed him in 2022 and made him its star striker. In the summer of 2025, he pushed for his exit in a long negotiation with the English club. The situation concluded with a move to Liverpool F.C. for £125 million (approximately €145 million / $160 million), a British record. Vlado Lemic was among the advisors involved in this deal.
In this deal, Lemic acted as an advisor who is not licensed by FIFA. The licensed representative was his brother Zoran. Sven Mislintat is among the partners through whom official exchanges with clubs are routed, while Gonzalo Gaitan handles the operational side of the negotiations.
A product of Independiente, Emiliano Martínez spent several seasons at Arsenal F.C. without establishing himself, going through a series of loans in England and Spain. Aston Villa F.C. signed him in 2020 and finally gave him a starting role. He then became Argentina's number one goalkeeper and won the 2022 World Cup, where he was named the tournament's best goalkeeper. His profile illustrates the ability of the Lemic network to keep working with players well after their professional debuts.
Born in Santiago del Estero, Santiago Hidalgo also came up through Independiente, where he broke into the first team as early as 2022. Spotted very early, he was listed in 2022 among the world's young talents born in 2005 identified by The Guardian. Toulouse FC officially confirmed his signing in the summer of 2025, for a fee of approximately €2.5 million (about $2.75 million). An Argentina youth international, he represents one of the most promising prospects in the Universal Twenty Two portfolio.
Born in Santa Fe, Tomás Jacob came up through Newell's Old Boys, where he made his debut in 2021. After several seasons split between the first team and the reserves, he joined the Mexican club Necaxa in 2025, then signed with Atlanta United in MLS in late 2025. A versatile defender, able to play right back, center back, or midfield, he illustrates the continued presence of the South American pipeline in Vlado Lemic's network.
Nemanja Matić built the bulk of his career at Chelsea F.C., with a spell at Benfica and then several seasons at Manchester United F.C. A Serbian defensive midfielder trained in Serbia, Nemanja is known for his positional awareness and his ability to win back the ball, and he long wore the captain's armband for the Serbian national team. He now continues his career in Serie A, at US Sassuolo, one of the most experienced profiles in the agency's portfolio.
Vlado Lemic's career shows that in professional soccer, a network often counts for as much as a diploma, and that a transfer rarely involves just a single intermediary. The relationship of trust with decision-makers such as Frank Arnesen and Predrag Mijatović is the source of his influence, long before any official recognition.
The representation model occupied by the Serbian also says something about the sports agent business. The kind of player support Lemic was able to provide twenty years ago no longer really exists in the same way today. The framework has tightened, and the FIFA license is now a mandatory step to represent a player within the rules. A network can open doors, but only the license allows you to represent clients.
