At 26 years old, Jemael Martial has experienced several stages in his professional career. Now a licensed agent, he brings freshness and a different perspective to the football agent profession.
What is your background?
Jemael Martial: Jemael Martial, 26 years old, I am a FFF sports agent. Before becoming an agent, I obtained a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in sports journalism at ESJ Paris. Subsequently, I worked for 4 years at Bein Sport where I covered major competitions as an assistant editor-in-chief.
How did this desire come about? And what is your background?
Jemael Martial: During my journalism degree, I had done an assignment on sports agents and interviewed those who were likely to come into contact with them, football players, sports directors, and journalists. After that, I told myself that this sports agent profession interested me a lot and that it suited me.
Initially, I was more of a football fan than a journalist, but I was very interested in the behind-the-scenes of this sport. I looked into becoming an agent and discovered how it works. I enrolled in EAJF for the first part which I obtained. The second part I did at Pegas Academie, another school. I have had my football player agent license since October 2020.
How can young people establish themselves and differentiate themselves in this agent profession?
Jemael Martial: My thought when I started was, "What can I bring that's different from others?" I am Guadeloupean, I lived there until I was 18. I thought that in Guadeloupe, there was a real pool of players, so why go after players in Île-de-France or elsewhere? Why not take players from my place?
My goal in becoming an agent was to help my younger brothers, to help develop and promote my island. My niche is to work with young players from Guadeloupe.
My first player is a 2007, Anddrys Solvet (Stade de Reims). Since then, I have been trying to find the one or two best players per generation to accompany them. I knew that if I talked to clubs about players from Île-de-France or France, they would know them. I decided to focus on young players. There is no money involved, it's about career development and creation. When you have good players, the network naturally forms.
How can young people establish themselves and differentiate themselves in this agent profession?
Jemael Martial: My thought process when I started was, "What can I bring that is different from others?" I am Guadeloupean, and I lived there until I was 18. I thought there was a real pool of players in Guadeloupe, so why look for players in Île-de-France or elsewhere? Why not take players from my home?
My desire as an agent was to help my little brothers, to help develop and promote my island. My niche is to work with young players from Guadeloupe.
My first player is a 2007 player, Anddrys Solvet (Stade de Reims). Since then, I have been trying to find the one or two best players per generation to accompany them. I knew that if I talked to clubs about players from Île-de-France or France, they would know them. I decided to focus on young players. There is no story of money; it's a development and a career creation. When you have good players, the network is created naturally.
Do you plan to continue on this path? Or maybe have more experienced players under your charge?
Jemael Martial: In my previous company, that was part of it, but in this profession, there is something called experience. When an experienced player says to me, "What are you going to teach me?" I can hear and understand them. When I work with a young football player, I am older than him, but we maintain a certain closeness in codes. I have a big brother role.
Football is business and money, but I am passionate about life stories and career creation, and the human side of the agent profession. I have been practicing for three years and have still not earned money through this profession. I remain passionate and happy when I go to the fields. I accompany the player humanely, in the development of their image and their career.
SuperNova Management in a few words?
Jemael Martial: I joined SuperNova Management about 8 months ago, and with the experience I have gained, I take care of professional players such as Jordan Leborgne (Versailles) or Alexis Martial who plays in National 3. Today I have less apprehension than before; I can advise my players. I am well surrounded; I am given advice that allows me to be good. On a personal level, my objective is to be at least the reference for young people from Guadeloupe in terms of agents.
What is your added value as an agent?
Jemael Martial: The most important thing is your player, no matter who you are or what you have done. In this business, people talk to me because I have a good player. Going to Guadeloupe costs money, you send your scout, and he doesn't know where to go, maybe he'll go to the Pôle Espoirs (a youth training center), but he'll only have a week. I'm Guadeloupean, I have nothing to pay, I take care of my ticket and travel there. We're both winners. I save you time because I know where the talent of the generation is. The deal is that I bring him to you and you agree to take him on trial.
What qualities do you think an agent should have?
Jemael Martial: The most important word for an agent is versatility! You don't have to be an expert in everything, but you need to have some knowledge in each area. Whether it's in wealth management, physical preparation, image management, how the market works, etc. You have to be versatile in managing your players, and the other fundamental word is availability!
What message do you have for future agents?
Jemael Martial: Today, I work in football and I hope that football will one day allow me to live. That's my ultimate goal. Living from your passion makes you happy. I work with people who make a living from this business. On one hand, it's impressive and on the other hand, it shows that it's possible. It's a risky business. "A poker game will make us rich, but poker isn't an exact science even if you're good at it."
What I have to say to future agents is that if you want to do this job, it's a contest that you prepare for in 6 months/1 year.
Make sure you have a source of income that allows you to be stable and not do things in a hurry. When you work alongside football, you're never guided by hunger and we know that hunger justifies the means but sometimes the means are not good.
Today, I've calculated my business plan and my career so that if tomorrow my player doesn't make it, even if I do everything I can, we're not safe from anything (injury, change of agent). Tomorrow, if you've based everything around him, you can quickly be in trouble. That doesn't mean you're a bad agent or that you're working badly. Agents decide everything except what happens on the pitch. We can help him to be better, by removing certain concerns, but in the end, it's the player who takes responsibility or not. The least sure thing is human beings. Make sure you have a source of income, this allows you to be serene and to work in peace.
How did you join SuperNova and what’s your added value?
In the agent business, you can't take a break because your player is there waiting for answers. Joining this structure (SuperNova Management) has brought me experience because it was a weakness of mine. When you pass your exam and learn about legal concepts, it's good, but until you've negotiated a contract, you don't know what it's like. However, I had an innovative and well-planned project.
I had interviewed for another media outlet that had gone well on Instagram. Morgan and Jennifer Mendelewitsch, founders and partners of SuperNova Management, saw the interview and appreciated my speech. I needed experience, as I've said before, someone was interested in my profile, and on the other hand, I brought added value, so it suited everyone.
I'm convinced that if you do things in the right order, without being attracted by harmful aspects, you can achieve your goals and become an agent.
I'm doing this work in the first place to help young people. Helping a younger brother become a professional by taking him from Guadeloupe. I know that if 2 or 3 players become professionals, clubs will ask questions, where are they from, etc., and they will be tempted to come to Guadeloupe earlier. Beyond the personal project of becoming a referenced agent, there is a global, future project and a project for my island. I know that if it works, I will have achieved my goal as an agent, as a man, and as a Guadeloupean.
Interview conducted by Abdelwahab Hamed for SportsAgent Institute on March 15, 2022.
