He is behind Denzel’s transfer to Madrid. In 2025 it managed turnover of 400 million. In 2023 he brought Caicedo to Chelsea for 116 million: at the time, the most expensive transfer in the Premier League: “A trophy is nice for one evening, but what really counts is the trust that the players have”
Those who know him underline his zen calm: difficult negotiations, tangled deals, even great rejections. One above all. Ali Barat, the man behind Dumfries’ transfer to Madrid, years ago noticed a boy with long levers and excellent technique dribbling everyone on a dirt and mud pitch in Dakar, Senegal. They sent him a couple of minutes of video of his best games. “He was 17 years old, ten seconds was enough for me…”.