Who is Pini Zahavi? The former football journalist who used contacts to build vast football agency

Updated: 14 Apr 2024 12:00 BST
4 min read

Pinhas "Pini" Zahavi is perhaps the biggest agent you might not have heard of.

Beyond the Jorge Mendes and the late Mino Raiola's of this world is a man now in his eighties who is still going strong.

Article continues under the video

Indeed, Zahavi has remained among the highest echelons of agency work for decades.

Who is Jorge Mendes? The superagent with a €1.44 billion football empire

From his first transfer deal in 1979, the move of Avi Cohen from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Liverpool, to today, Zahavi is still going strong, presiding over a firm that boasts €399 million in talent.

But just who is Zahavi and how did he get started?

What is Pini Zahavi’s agency?

Zahavi owns and operates Gol International, one of the world’s leading football agencies.

What players does Pini Zahavi represent?

Zahavi’s Gol International has among its clientele Christopher Nkunku, Jonathan Tah, Gabri Veiga, Angel Gomes, Robert Lewandowski, Yannick Carrasco, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. The firm has also done deals for David Alaba and Neymar.

How good is Pini Zahavi?

As mentioned before, Zahavi has been working as an agent for over 40 years. He was born in Ness Ziona, Israel in 1955, to a family of Jewish background.

It was a humble beginning for Zahavi as life as the son of a shopkeeper. He soon became a football journalist and built a wide network of connections in football. Slowly dipping his toes into agent work, he got a taste for the industry and eventually gave up the reporting industry entirely in 1998.

© IMAGO - Pini Zahavi has been in the business for decades

By1997, Zahavi was well acquainted with the top brass of English football. He oversaw the move of Israeli midfielder Eyal Berkovic from Southampton to West Ham.

And his dealings with the Hammers brought Zahavi into contact with Rio Ferdinand, one of the most highly-regarded defenders in the world a the time. He facilitated Ferdinand's £18m move from East London to Leeds in 2000, as well as his £30m move to Manchester United two years later.

Zahavi's friendship with Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson helped see Jaap Stam's £16.5m move to Lazio and Juan Sebastian Verón's £28.1m switch to Old Trafford.

In 2003, Zahavi's operations grew, and he played a crucial role in Roman Abramovich's acquisition of Chelsea, having met the tycoon in Russia. The move was considered one of the first of its kind and has set a precedent for future takeovers, particularly in the Premier League.

© IMAGO - Rio Ferdinand became a Man Utd legend

Since then, Zahavi has been among those at the forefront of major transfers. Nkunku’s move to Stamford Bridge for £52m being the most notable recent move that Gol international have brokered in recent years.