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

Many people may never have heard this name, while others may find it familiar. But in fact, Roc Nation has become the most influential agency today and is ready to change everything. Roc Nation Sports describes itself as "a sports management company," founded by American artist Jay-Z, which provides management services for professional athletes. It represents NBA star LaMelo Ball, NFL stars De'Von Achane and Kyler Murray, among others.

Thiago Freitas explained exclusively 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 Thiago Freitas's agency in Brazil. Through this merger, they brought over 20 years of experience working with Brazilian players to Roc Nation's football operations.

Since 2023, the agency has grown exponentially in the football world, entering the top ten most powerful football agencies according to the CIES ranking (International Centre for Sports Studies), a classification based on the estimated transfer value of its players. These numbers are supported by players like Vinicius, Diomande, and Endrick.

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

But their work is not just about securing the best contracts for athletes; it's also about empowering them. "We want to transplant much of American sports culture to football, so athletes can also 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 revealed.

Of all these operations, Roc Nation's most elaborate was Vinicius's contract renewal. This saga has dragged on for several years and was finally completed in August this year with the Brazilian's contract extension with Real Madrid through 2032. "This process was led by our CEO Federico Peña. The agreement between Vinicius and Real Madrid is like a three-act love story. During the film, there are conflicts, doubts, and obstacles. But everyone knows the ending: a passionate kiss, and they all live happily ever after," Thiago Freitas confessed exclusively.

Roc Nation's COO made clear that Vinicius wanted to stay and did not consider other options: "Just look at all the players who have played for Real Madrid in the last 20 or 30 years; nobody wants to leave."

Beyond Vinicius's contract renewal, there was another major agreement between Roc Nation and Real Madrid. The agency also represents Yann Diomande, who became Real Madrid's most expensive signing in history. They discovered him while Diomande was still at Leipzig. "We always look at the stars, but when you look at the stars, sometimes a comet appears. You could say Yann is like a comet among the stars, a Halley's Comet that only appears every 8 to 10 years. When we had the opportunity to work with him, we didn't hesitate."

To make it happen, they moved to Germany and developed a custom development program for Diomande, with the goal of increasing his value and ultimately convincing Leipzig to let him go. "Any club would want to keep a player of his caliber. We knew that completing this deal would be a major challenge, a difficult task."

Thiago also revealed the process of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain competing for the player: "Many of the most important, richest, and top clubs in the world expressed interest in Yann. But I always said that for players, Real Madrid is the Pelé of clubs. When you talk to players about the club, it's like talking to players who played with Pelé about Pelé. When Real Madrid shows interest, other clubs don't have a chance. Players want to come to Real Madrid, and we must create the conditions for them to do so."

For players, Real Madrid is the Pelé of clubs.

Thiago Freitas knows Diomande well and believes he can make a difference for Real Madrid: "Like all magic tricks, we don't know when or where they will happen. Yann is a player who can bring many surprises to Real Madrid. Real Madrid is a team that faces opponents in most matches whose objective is not to lose. Therefore, Real Madrid often needs someone who can break down tactical structures and create these surprises for opponents. Yann has all of that, and he is an ambitious young man; to stand out at Real Madrid, you must be ambitious."

For Roc Nation, Thiago Freitas concluded that this signing is of great significance, both symbolically and for the clubs involved, and for being Real Madrid's most expensive signing in history: "Without a doubt, this is a milestone in world football, because Real Madrid is the club that creates milestones in the 21st century. Real Madrid leads the way in world football. We believe that in 2, 3, or 4 years, we will see other great clubs—clubs like Real Madrid—refer to Yann's transfer when making their own signings. Not just because of the fee, but also because he is a young player with a short career."

Traduzido por IA.

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