Roc Nation's director exclusively reveals the story behind Vinicius's contract extension and Diomande's transfer, describing Vinicius's relationship with Real Madrid as a three-act love story.

Many people may not have heard this name, while others might be familiar with it. However, Roc Nation has become the most influential agency today and is ready to change everything. Roc Nation Sports calls itself a "sports management company," founded by American artist Jay-Z, which provides agency services for professional athletes. It represents NBA star LaMelo Ball, NFL stars De'Von Achane and Kyler Murray, among others.

Thiago Freitas exclusively explained to Marca: "Roc Nation's sports division was born from Jay-Z's passion for sports, initially focusing on major American sports, and then began expanding into international sports." This subsidiary was established in 2023, when Roc Nation International acquired the agency where Thiago Freitas worked in Brazil. Through this merger, they brought over 20 years of experience working with Brazilian players into Roc Nation's football operations.

Since 2023, the agency has expanded rapidly in the football world, entering the top ten most powerful agencies in football as ranked by CIES (International Centre for Sports Studies), a ranking based on the estimated transfer value of the players it represents. Behind these numbers is the backing of players like Vinicius, Diomande, and Endrick.

This summer was undoubtedly a turning point for Roc Nation. Of seven of their most valuable players in terms of market value, four signed new contracts: Vinicius signed a multi-year extension with Real Madrid; Diomande became Real Madrid's most expensive signing in history; Martinelli moved to Saudi Arabia for 70 million euros; and Malik Fofana joined Sunderland for 30 million euros on the final day of the transfer window.

However, their work is not just about securing the best contracts for athletes, but also empowering them. "We want to bring a lot of American sports culture into football, so that athletes can become icons off the pitch, not just players. The world we live in is very different from 5, 10, 15, or 20 years ago, and there is still much to change. Today, every celebrity is also a role model for many people," Freitas said.

Of all the operations mentioned, Roc Nation's most grueling effort was Vinicius's contract extension. This story can be traced back several years, finally concluding in August this year with the Brazilian player extending his contract with Real Madrid until 2032. "This process was handled by our CEO, Federico Peña. The deal between Vinicius and Real Madrid is like a three-act love story. During the film, there is conflict, doubt, and obstacles. But everyone knows the end of the film: a loving kiss, a happy ending," Thiago Freitas exclusively acknowledged.

Roc Nation's COO explained that Vinicius wanted to stay and was not considering other options: "Just look back at all the players who have ever played for Real Madrid in the last 20 or 30 years—none of them wanted to leave."

Additionally, Vinicius's contract extension is not the only deal between Roc Nation and Real Madrid. The agency also represents Yan Diomande, who has become Real Madrid's most expensive signing in history. They discovered him when Diomande was still at Leipzig. "We are always looking for stars, but sometimes a comet appears when you're looking at stars. You could say that Yan is like a comet among stars—Halley's Comet, which appears only once every 8 to 10 years. When we had the opportunity to work with him, we didn't hesitate."

To this end, they moved to Germany and created a customized development program for Diomande, aimed at increasing his value and eventually persuading Leipzig to let him go. "Any club would definitely want to keep a player of this caliber. We knew that completing this deal would be a major challenge, a difficult task."

Thiago also revealed the process in which Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain competed to sign the player: "Many of the world's biggest, richest, and top clubs showed interest in Yan. But I always say, for a player, Real Madrid is the Pelé of clubs. When you talk about a club with a player, it's like talking about Pelé with a player who played alongside Pelé. When Real Madrid shows interest, other clubs have no other choice. Players want to come to Real Madrid, and we have to create the conditions for them to come."

For players, Real Madrid is the Pelé of clubs.

Thiago Freitas knows Diomande very well, and he is confident that Diomande can make a difference for Real Madrid: "Like all magic tricks, we don't know when or where it will happen. Yan is a player who can bring many surprises to Real Madrid. Real Madrid is a team that in most matches faces opponents whose goal is not to lose. Therefore, Real Madrid often needs someone who can break the tactical structure and create these surprises for opponents. Yan has all of this, and he is an ambitious kid; to excel at Real Madrid, you have to be ambitious."

For Roc Nation, Thiago Freitas concluded that this signing has tremendous significance, both symbolically because of the club involved and because it is Real Madrid's most expensive signing in history: "Without a doubt, this is a historic milestone in world football, because Real Madrid is the club that creates milestones in the 21st century. Real Madrid leads the direction of world football. We believe that in 2, 3, or 4 years, we will see other major clubs—clubs like Real Madrid—refer to Yan's deal when conducting transfers. Not just because of the amount, but also because this signing involves a young player with a short career so far."

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