Top 5 Most Powerful Football Agents: Which Agency Has the Most Expensive Player Portfolio?

Representation in football has slowly become as pivotal to transfers as the club and the players themselves. Below we explore some of the most powerful football agents at this moment in time.

Top 5 Most Powerful Football Agents

5. Will Salthouse and Gordon Stipic-Wipfler – Unique Sports Group (€1.03bn)

• Players: 568
• First Division Clients: 115
• Collective Market Value: €1.03bn

Unique Sports Group (USG) are one of five agencies to boast a player portfolio worth over €1billion collectively, sneaking just ahead of German juggernaut ROOF.

USG, in its most up-to-date iteration, was birthed out of a merger between UK-based agency Unique Sports Management (USM) and German company International Sports Management (ISMG).

In doing so, it brings together players from all over the globe for a joint-portfolio consisting of 568 players; 115 of which play first division football.

Co-CEO’s and lead agents Will Salthouse and Gordon Stipic-Wipfler have compiled a strong client base in the Premier League, with seven of their top 10 most valuable assets plying their trade in the English top-flight.

This includes Reece James, Brennan Johnson, Marc Guehi, as well as Newcastle pair Lewis Miley and Anthony Gordon – the latter being their most valuable client at a market value of €60m.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou and AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw are among other high-profile names in Europe on their roster.

Top 10 Unique Sports Group Clients By Market Value

10. Lewis Miley – €22m

9. Dwight McNeil – €22m

8. Malick Thiaw – €25m

7. Jacob Ramsey – €35m

6. Odilon Kossounou – €35m

5. Marc Guehi – €38m

4. Reece James – €40m

3. Hakan Calhanoglu – €45m

2. Brennan Johnson – €48m

1. Anthony Gordon – €60m

4. Frank Trimboli & Leon Angel – CAA Base (€1.17bn)

• Players: 622
• First Division Clients: 181
• Collective Market Value: €1.17bn

Much like the aforementioned Unique Sports Group, CAA Base saw two separate entities join forces in the summer of 2019.

Frank Trimboli and Leon Angel co-founded Base Soccer together before its acquisition by CAA Sports – more on them later.

They currently have 622 players on their roster, 181 of which play first division football.

According to the latest market values on football database Transfermarkt, CAA Base have as many as five €50m-plus players in their portfolio – Kingsley Coman, Eberechi Eze, Bremer, James Maddison and Cole Palmer.

The first two have both been strongly linked with moves away from Bayern Munich and Crystal Palace respectively this summer; scenarios CAA Base will no doubt be eager to facilitate.

The agency also seemingly has a strong relationship with Tottenham Hotspur. In addition to Maddison, Heung-Min Son, Pape Sarr and Pedro Porro are all active clients.

Top 10 CAA Base Clients By Market Value

10. Samuele Ricci – €22m

9. Rico Lewis – €38m

8. Heung-Min Son – €43m

7. Pedro Porro – €45m

6. Pape Sarr – €45m

5. Kingsley Coman – €50m

4. Eberechi Eze – €55m

3. Bremer – €60m

2. James Maddison – €70m

1. Cole Palmer – €80m

3. Jorge Mendes – GestiFute (€1.46bn)

• Players: 135
• First Division Clients: 72
• Collective Market Value: €1.46bn

Other than the late Mino Raiola, no one man typifies the modern superagent more than Jorge Mendes. 

The 58-year-old has been a permanent fixture in world football since the mid-1990’s, initially brokering deals in his native Portugal for the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo and former Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana.

He is notorious for spotting talent in their formative years, just as he did with Ricardo Queresma, and more pertinently, his largest client Cristiano Ronaldo with whom he shares a close personal friendship.

It is interesting to note that his agency GestiFute only consists of 135 players, but over half of the clients play at the very highest level.

As has been a constant theme throughout his career, Mendes’ agency is Portugal-centric and represents the best the country has to offer, both young and old.

The 12 most expensive players on their portfolio are all €50m-plus in terms of current market value, eight of which are Portuguese.

Aside from representing players, Mendes also famously brought Jose Mourinho to English shores in 2004, which established his own importance as a trusted agent to build a strong client base in the Premier League.

GestiFute also represent the interests of Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc, tennis player Jose Sousa and cyclist Joao Almeida.

Top 10 GestiFute Clients By Market Value

10. Bradley Barcola – €50m

9. Goncalo Ramos – €50m

8. Matheus Nunes – €50m

7. Joao Neves – €55m

6. Vitinha – €55m

5. Pedro Nete – €55m

4. Warren Zaire-Emery – €60m

3. Darwin Nunez – €70m

2. Bernardo Silva – €70m

1. Ruben Dias – €80m

2. Casey Wasserman – Wasserman (€1.83bn)

• Players: 989
• First Division Clients: 346
• Collective Market Value: €1.83bn

American businessman and philanthropist Casey Wasserman has built quite the empire for himself.

In his native country he is perhaps best recognised for his involvement in political circles; notably being a key fundraiser for Hilary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, as well as heading up Los Angeles’ successful Olympics bid for 2028.

However, his global network of clients in football – 989 to be exact – is the largest in the world and boasts the most first division players.

At a combined market value of €1.83bn, the Wasserman agency holds the second-most lucrative portfolio of players.

Whereas Jorge Mendes’ GestiFute is a smaller pool of talent made up of high value assets, Wasserman’s value lies in its sheer amount of clients.

That isn’t to say they don’t represent some of world football’s most mercurial talents, however. The €120m-rated Federico Valverde, Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake are among their top clients.

Top 10 Wasserman Clients By Market Value

10. Max Kilman – €32m

9. Lutsharel Geertruida – €32m

8. Harvey Barnes – €35m

7. Tino Livramento – €35m

6. Curtis Jones – €35m

5. John Stones – €38m

4. Nathan Ake – €40m

3. Alejandro Grimaldo – €45m

2. Teun Koopmeiners – €50m

1. Federico Valverde – €120m

1. Jonathan Barnett & David Manasseh – CAA Stellar Sports (€2.09bn)

• Players: 868
• First Division Clients: 327
• Collective Market Value: €2.09bn

Jonathan Barnett and David Manasseh are true heavyweights in the sports management industry, having been operational since 1994.

Their agency CAA Stellar Sports has grown to become the pre-eminent destination for football representation, with 868 players currently in their portfolio.

Co-founder Jonathan Barnett was named the world’s most powerful agent by Forbes in 2019, and has a strong reputation for nurturing some of the finest talent to come through the English football system. Not only this, but he is responsible for Lennox Lewis’ rise to undisputed boxing heavyweight champion in the late 1990’s.

In recent years, CAA Stellar have brokered mega-money transfers for Eduardo Camavinga, Ibrahima Konate and one of the most expensive Premier League signings of all-time in Jack Grealish – all of whom remain high-profile clients.

10. Luke Shaw – €32m

9. Gianluca Scamacca – €35m

8. Ezri Konsa – €35m

7. Morgan Gibbs-White – €40m

6. Alex Baena – €40m

5. Ibrahima Konate – €45m

4. Ivan Toney – €50m

3. Kobbie Mainoo – €55m

2. Jack Grealish – €60m

1. Eduardo Camavinga – €100m