Superagents Erkut Sogut and Rafaela Pimenta Teach the Next Generation at GIS

As part of our ground-breaking master’s course in sports agency, GIS is proud to provide students with teaching from some of the most recognised names in the industry.

The GIS MA Sports Agency course is the first of its kind, and teaches students what it takes to be an agent, from securing your first client to earning your status as a successful agent.

One of our world-renowned lecturers on this course is Rafaela Pimenta, whose clients include Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba, and Matthijs de Ligt. Since taking over from the late Mino Raiola, Rafaela has been an extremely influential figure in the footballing world, bringing students insight into the business of football. 

Another of our superagent lecturers is Dr Erkut Sogut. Securing Mesut Ozil’s transfer from Real Madrid to Arsenal for £42.5 million in 2013, the agent’s work made Ozil the third most expensive signing in British football history at the time.

Now the founder of GROW sports agency, Erkut is excited to pass his experience on to the next generation of sports agents. He posed some of the questions a student might ask themselves as they begin their career.

“What are the steps for how we actually get into the agency world? How do we survive? How do we sign our first client? What kind of knowledge do we need?

“We need to know about law, we need to know about management, we need to know about marketing,” he explained.

“I’m really excited to be with GIS on this amazing project, the first in the world, which makes it so special.”

One of his former students is Thomas Freismuth, who now works at GROW agency alongside his former lecturer.

“Erkut helped me a lot in my journey as a football agent,” Thomas told GIS.

“He showed me everything, introduced me to a lot of people in the industry. Every student can benefit a lot from Erkut’s network and also his experience throughout the years.

“The advice I’d give is to network as much as possible.”

Many industry professionals, including Erkut, understand the significance of this advice. 

“Networking is so important,” he added.

“I’d always encourage students to get out there and meet people, because your network is your net worth in the end – especially in football.”

As part of the course, students learn real-world skills through modules such as:

• Athlete and Agency Management
• Mentoring and Coaching Skills for Sports Agents
• Legal Principles for Sports Agents
• Global Sports Leadership

Students can also study FIFA Football Agency Regulations, an optional module that prepares aspiring agents for the FIFA Football Agent exam by helping them understand how to represent football players in accordance with FIFA regulations.

Interested in becoming a sports agent? Learn about more skills and responsibilities in our feature with agents Riad Djellab and Aman Jain, who offer advice to anyone aspiring to enter the industry.

As Dr Erkut Sogut explains, it’s the real-world application of the course that sets it apart.

“The university and lecturers here give you the opportunity to learn from people who are out there in the business, which is very, very important for your future.” – Dr Erkut Sogut

To find out more about studying with us at GIS, explore our MA Sports Agency page here.

Article by Zakaria Anani