By Toby Prince
Popular magazine Forbes on Wednesday released the list of the most powerful and influential sports agents in the world.
Out of the 50 top ranked agents, baseball with 13, has the highest representatives, followed by (American) football and basketball with 10 each, while hockey (eight), soccer (seven) and golf (two) makeup the list.
Below are the top five sports agents for 2015 as released by Forbes.
- Scot Boras- Baseball
Boras, quite literally a one man corporation, is the top sports agent in the world. A native of Californian and lawyer by trade, Boras is the only sports agent in the world with more than $2 billion in active player contracts. Both respected and feared by general managers and those who must negotiate against him, Boras has established himself as the most successful athlete advocate in the history of sports.
- Jorge Mendes- Soccer
Thrice recognised as the very best FIFA’s Agent of the Year, Mendes began his career focused primarily on Portuguese players. Currently, Mendes active client contracts are worth nearly $1 Billion, headlined by Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Other superstars he mediates for include Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez, Jose Mourinho and Angel Di Maria.
- Tom Condon- Football
Condon, a former offensive linesman for the Kansas City Chiefs, is one of the most dynamic agents in all of sports. He earned his law degree during the off-season and even represented a fellow teammate as an active agent. Condon would serve as the President of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) from 1984-1986, and currently represents 41 clients.
- Jonathan Barnett- Soccer
While Barnett’s first client was legendary Cricket player Brian Lara, the Briton has made a name for himself since then representing some of the world’s best soccer players. Representing well over 100 players throughout dozens of global leagues, Barnett manages the largest roaster of clients of any agent in the Forbes Top 50. Gareth Bale, Luke shaw and Joe Hart are some of his notable clients.
- Volker Struth- Soccer
German soccer agent, Volker has made a name for himself representing some of the biggest stars in the Bundesliga. Volker’s notable clients include Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Toni Kroos and represents over 80 soccer stars across the globe.
