Who is Kia Joorabchian? Profiling Football's Mega-Agent Causing A Stir

Who is Kia Joorabchian? Profiling Football's Mega-Agent Causing A Stir

Football agents used to be anonymous. A part of the essential furniture in transfer dealings, but never a particularly controversial cohort within the sporting realm.

But, whilst the former in that statement is still correct, the latter has changed significantly.

In the modern age of money, agents are not only more involved but infinitely more vocal and controversy-inducing in the media – all with the goal of bullying clubs into getting a better deal for their client.

Or at least that is the innocent way of looking at it… Because in reality, the better deal their client comes away with, the more fruitful it is for them too, and massive agent fees are now the norm in the transfer market.

One of the most prominent names who hits the headlines in many a transfer window is Kia Joorabchian.

If you haven't heard of him, it likely won't be long until you do.

But who is he, what is he worth, and just how far does his influence stretch in football?

Who is Kia Joorabchian?

Kiavash Joorabchian is an Iranian-British businessman who also dabbles (a bit of an understatement) in football agency.

Despite having mixed heritage, Joorabchian did complete his education entirely in Britain, which culminated in a university dropout after his second year of studies of chemistry and business studies.

His first foray into the footballing space came all the way back in 2004 when he forged a partnership with Brazilian giants Corinthians and began brokering deals from there.

From there, Kia progressed his skills and now boasts ownership of his own agency called Sports Invest Agency.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about Kia Joorabchian is that he isn't actually a football agent.

What I mean by that is he isn't certified and doesn't hold a license to operate as an agent.

Instead, he defines his line of work as providing teams and players with advice on contracts and moves, describing himself as an 'investment manager'.

He is also involved in the controversial third-party ownership of players, with the investors he represents reportedly owning the economic rights to around 60-70 players from South America to Europe.

But despite the slight misconception around what his job actually is, Joorabchian has been involved in some massive deals throughout his career.

Joorabchian's Biggest Deals

Robinho - Real Madrid to Man City £32.5m

The first big deal at the beginning of Manchester City's pending era of dominance over English football was Robinho from Real Madrid, something which Joorabchian was involved in behind the scenes.

Oscar – Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG £60m

During the budding takeover of football by China, which eventually fell flat, Oscar was one of the biggest names who made the switch. The £60m fee was an eye-watering one at the time and was largely brokered by the shadowy figure of Kia Joorabchian.

Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona £145m

One of the biggest transfers which has ever occurred in world football, Coutinho's move to Barcelona was a groundbreaking deal at the time. Although it ended up not working out for the player himself, for Joorabchian it was a huge win and still makes the biggest deal he has ever been involved in.

And Many More

In honesty, we could be talking about all of the deals Joorabchian has been involved in for some time.

Some of the other notable ones include Ramires to Chelsea, Marquinhos to PSG and Joao Mario to Inter – but again, we could continue for hours.

Kia Joorabchian is showing no signs of disappearing from the footballing world any time soon, and his presence both within the sporting and the media spotlight will no doubt continue for many years to come.

His tough bargaining, controversy-stirring style is a stark reminder of the intrinsic motives behind the money which plagues modern football.

But one thing is for sure, Kia Joorabchian is excellent at what he does.