Top football agent Mino Raiola tweets he's still alive from intensive care
28 April 2022, 14:24 | Updated: 28 April 2022, 15:20
Top football agent Mino Raiola has tweeted from intensive care denying claims he has died aged 54, as his doctor said he is "fighting for his life".
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The renowned football agent, who represents the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is reportedly "very ill" in hospital.
Reports in Italy claimed on Thursday that the 54-year-old had died following a lung illness, with Real Madrid even tweeting their "condolences".
Raiola, who was born in Italy but grew up in the Netherlands, has since denied the claims on his official Twitter account.
He wrote: "Current health status for the ones wondering: p***** off second time in four months they kill me. Seem also able to resuscitate."
Read more: Police take seven hours to un-stick oil protest eco mob from M25 petrol pumps
Current health status for the ones wondering: pissed off second time in 4 months they kill me. Seem also able to ressuscitate.
— Mino Raiola (@MinoRaiola) April 28, 2022
Sources close to Raiola insist the rumours of his death are "fake" but he is seriously ill.
He is believed to be suffering from a lung condition not linked to coronavirus.
A tweet from Raiola's twitter account in January said he had undergone medical checks requiring anaesthesia, but that he had not had emergency surgery.
Jose Fortes Rodriguez, a close colleague of the Italian, told reporters at NOS: "He's in a bad position, but he hasn't died."
The official Real Madrid twitter account put a statement out following the reports - which has since been deleted - expressing their condolences.
Read more: Doctor Who and EastEnders star Ann Davies dies aged 87
The now-deleted tweet said: "Real Madrid CF, its President and its Board of Directors deeply regret the death of Mino Raiola and would like to express their condolences, their affection and their affection to all his relatives and loved ones."
Raiola is thought to be in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
His doctor has also told Italian news agency ANSA that Raiola was "fighting" for his life, and that he was "indignant" at the reports in Italy.
Raiola first stepped into the world of football agency by working on the deal that took Dutch forward Bryan Roy to Italian club Foggia and then acted as an interpreter in Dennis Bergkamp's move from Ajax to Inter Milan.
Czech star Pavel Nedved became Raiola's first big-name client, and he has steadily built his reputation in Italian and world football over the years since, and alongside Jorge Mendes is arguably the highest-profile football agent on the planet.
