Football's First Female Super Agent Makes Forbes List

A 53-year-old woman who never scored a goal or managed a team just became the only football professional on Forbes' most influential women list for 2026.

Rafaela Pimenta represents Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Liverpool manager Arne Slot, and dozens of other football stars. The Brazilian lawyer turned agent has built one of the sport's most impressive client rosters while shattering glass ceilings along the way.

Her journey wasn't easy. Early in her career, a sports director told her to her face that he thought she was "a hooker from Brazil" rather than a legitimate agent. Male executives regularly tried to undermine her with gender-based attacks during negotiations.

But Pimenta kept showing up and proving herself. She worked alongside legendary agent Mino Raiola for 35 years after he tracked her down in Brazil, impressed that she was the only person who ever said no to his wildest ideas.

Now she's using her platform to push for meaningful change. Pimenta is advocating for reforms to the transfer system, which she says gives clubs too much power over players. She's seen athletes cry on deadline day because clubs blocked moves over small price differences.

"Players are sometimes hostages of situations," she told BBC Sport. "Today, football is becoming so much of a business there is a risk that players become an asset on the balance sheet. An asset has no voice, no feelings, no human needs."

The Ripple Effect

Pimenta's success is opening doors for other women in football. When she started, she could count female decision-makers on one hand. Now she's responding to women who reach out, grateful that someone finally made it through that "last door" where only men used to sit.

Her work has evolved with the digital age too. What used to be simple contract negotiations now requires managing YouTube channels, digital opportunities, sponsors, and media appearances. Haaland alone has 1.28 million YouTube subscribers.

Despite her achievements, Pimenta refuses to coast on past success. "You must prove yourself every day," she says. "If we screw it up, it's dead."

Her presence on Forbes' list alongside Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz and the first female Archbishop of Canterbury proves that football's old boys' club is finally making room for women who demand a seat at the table.