The 20 biggest football agents, their clients and their source of income

IFM’s Thomas Brookes (Image courtesy: Linkedin)

4) Volker Struth – SportsTotal

Mario Gotze and Volker Struth — Mario Gotze with Volker Struth

German agent Volker Struth has made a name for himself representing some of the biggest stars in the Germany like Toni Kroos, Marco Reus and Mario Gotze. Reportedly, he pulled in a total of $42.4 million from commissions in 2015, and that is excluding the recent deal that saw Mario Gotze head back to Borussia Dortmund.

His agency, SportsTotal, has about 80 clients on their roster, making him a powerful power broker in football.

3) Jonathan Barnett

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 8: L-R, Executive VP of Wasserman Media Group Richard Motzkin, Football Agent Dennis Roach, and Jonathan Barnett owner of the Stellar Group during day four of the Soccerex Global Convention at Manchester Central on September 8, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dave Thompson/Getty Images) — Richard Motzkin, Dennis Roach, and Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan Barnett is a highly divisive figure in football, though he started out by representing cricketer Brian Lara and is also credited with introducing Lennox Lewis to Boxing.

Barnett rose to fame with the controversial transfer of Ashley Cole to Chelsea wherein he was accused of tapping up the left-back while he was at Arsenal. His Stellar Group manages about 15 footballers including Gareth Bale, Joe Hart, Luke Shaw, and Rafael. He was also investigated for tax evasion in 2014.

But Barnett plotted the then world record transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid in 2013, which went a long way in helping him net about $44 million in player contracts in 2014.

Edited by Staff Editor