Looking for a soccer agent now that you've finished your club or college soccer and are ready to take the next step? Or maybe you just want to switch agents; well in either situation this is what you need to do.
First, you'll need to establish some sort of contact with an agent, the earlier the better.
Instead of sorting through thousands of possible agents, I've created a list of Europe, South Americas, USA and Asia's best who have a proven track record of getting players trials. Find that Pro FIFA Soccer Agent Contact List here.
Hmmmm... the million dollar question. This is where you need to be real with yourself and look yourself in the mirror (wash your face first you look awful in the mornings).
Now to know if you are ready for a soccer agent you need to ask yourself these two questions. First, "am I the top 2-3 players on my team?", if yes then the second questions is ask yourself "am I the top 5-10 players in my entire league" (college, highest club league etc).
If the answer is no to either of these questions then you have some work to do before you get an agent to represent you.
If you answered yes to both then you can start contacting some agents with this Pro Secret Agent Contact List.
Put it this way, even Messi needed a soccer agent to sign his first pro contract, so before you start thinking you don't need one, believe me you do.
Agents represent you and shop you around to clubs that are looking for a player that fits your profile. A team may be looking for an 18 year old Striker or veteran 31 year old Defender from Norway and an agent places their players on tryouts that match the clubs needs.
I have had trials that have lasted months and I have had trials that have lasted hours (I try to forget those) and no matter what trial I went on I could quickly realize if this team was looking for what I bring to the table or if it wasn't the right fit.
Yes and No (what a clear answer aren't you glad you came here for advice?). If you’ve signed an exclusive contract with your agent then no you cannot be signed with another agent.
If you have a non-exclusive (I always had these) contract then you are free to contact other agents while signed with your current one and have more than one agent working to find you a trial at a time.
The agent that finds you the trial is the one who gets a percentage from your contract.
If you’ve yet to sign a contract with any agent (generally happens your first time looking for an agent) then you can have as many agents as you like.
They can all be searching for trials for you, when one finds a trial for you then start to talk to them more seriously about signing on with them.
I've seen kids have agents as early as 14 years old. These kids are usually in top academies around the world such Barcelona or Man City so if you're reading this my guess is you are in the 14-22 range and may be ready for your own agent, so ya go for it.
I had my first agent (who was my uncle pretending to be my agent) at about 21 which is later then most.
Want to know how to get your own agent? Read all the info you possibly can below then when you think you are ready to start contacting them have a look at a collection of the top agents to get you your first pro trial in 3rd, 2nd or even 1st division clubs around the world with this Pro FIFA Soccer Agent Contact List.
Listen closely, this is the single most important advice I can give you, any soccer agent you contact that wants any payment before you sign a pro contract, walk away, it's a scam.
The way it works is you contact the agent, he finds you a trial, the team wants to keep you, you sign with your agent (for about 7-10% of your salary) then you sign with the club.
You'll probably be the one paying your airfare and such things to get to your first trial or two so the agent has no costs at all, and don't be tricked by any hidden costs they may say, let them find you a trial then start speaking more seriously about payments.
If the soccer agent you contact wants money up front before he's done anything, delete that email and never speak with him again. Period.
A rough number is about 7-12 players per agent. When I was with my first agent he had 9 other players he was placing across Europe.
It really does depend on the agent and where they are in their career, some may only have a few that bring them enough income where they don't need more and others feel like they can handle 10+.
I would stay away from an agent who has over 15 players he is representing because they just won't have enough time for you unless you're one of the top dogs (and early on you won't be).
Pay NOTHING upfront! Can't stress this enough. With lots of scams out there be sure not to pay the agent just to set up a trial for you or anything else. The agents get paid off of your first contract once you've signed, so if someone says they're an agent and want some money up front, run!
What you say and send to an agent with your first contact is everything. Don't reach out to an agent not being prepared to send them all the necessary materials (highlight tape, CV etc).
A scout works for the club and an agent works for you. A scouts job is to search the globe for talent to bring in to the club they work for while the agents job is to place his talent at clubs.
Many times scouts will have good relationships with agents to try and get some of their players both now and into the future.
When I first started I asked friends and those in my soccer circles of people they may know. I also looked up players I knew that had agents and reached out to them for advice.
Before you go online and start searching all over for different agents I've made that process easier for you by compiling all the agents from around the world to help you get you first pro trail here, in my Pro FIFA Soccer Agent Contact List.
How many people do you see representing themselves without a lawyer in court? and how does that usually go? Bottom line is you need a professional soccer agent who does this for a living, that has the contacts and will give you credibility before going on a tryout. Plain and simple get one.
Put it this way, I went on close to 20 different professional tryouts in my time and the first 12 or so I went with no agent which was a massive mistake because I signed exactly zero contracts and made exactly zero teams.
I then went on two tryouts that an agent set up and had interest from both and signed my first pro contract with that second team I tried out for. Sometimes it's who you know that can open that first door for you now matter how good you are.
Of course they charge a fee but it is never up front. It is a percentage of the contract you sign. So let's look at Ronaldo for example, when he signed a 2 or 3 year contract with Juventus, let's say he signed for 100 Million, his agent would get 5-10% of that so about 5-10million.
This is a simple example, there are other things they may have worked out in the contract but this is typically how it is done. So when you go on you first pro tryout make sure to pay nothing up front but expect to give your agent 5-10% of your annual contract.
Believe me it is well worth the money considering this soccer agent will open doors to tryouts you couldn't open yourself.
You can also negotiate this percentage with your agent based on your contract amount and length. If you happen to get a signing or another type of bonus you can also use that to pay the agents fee if you wish.
Now say it with me "I will not pay anything up front, the agent gets paid once I do."
Well it depends where you live. If you live in Fiji (love their water by the way) it's time to look in the country where you want to play.
It is only normal for all of us to have the best contacts for our job or industry in the country we live in and agents are no different. They will have a wide network but their best in's will be in whichever country they live in.
My agent from England gave me the most opportunities in the UK then later outside of it.
This is the most important piece of the puzzle. Without the contact it is going to be close to impossible to even take that first step so I've put together all the top agents from my playing days that I crossed paths with plus all the top ones from each country.
Find the entire list here with my Pro FIFA Soccer Agent Contact List.
Feel free to contact any soccer agent in any region you would like to play. For example if you want to play in Spain then contact some Spanish agents because most agents have the most contacts within their own country or surrounding area which is to be expected. But ya why not shop around?
Not many will get back to you so promptly so send a lot of emails, but don't send a mass email, you'll look more desperate then the last kid picked at recess.
Don't hold your breath after sending the first set of emails. Believe good things will come, always stay fit, positive and mentally strong, your professional soccer tryout will come and you'll have a soccer agent that cares in your corner.
Your shot will come. The most important thing is to send the right things in that very first email.
Well in the email make sure to be honest. Tell them who you are, how old you are, where you have played, what you are looking for and what sort of professional soccer tryouts you want.
A CV (soccer resume) and highlight tape are essential, don't think an agent is going to want to represent you because your last name rhymes with Ronaldo, you need to approach the first level of contact as professional as possible.
Don't be shy or reluctant to tell them exactly what your aspirations are. If it's to play in the Premiership or if it's just a shot in a lesser-known league that's fine but make sure you put all your cards on the table.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself before switching from one soccer agent to the next.
1. When’s the last time they contacted you non-soccer related? Just to see how things are?
2. What is the time between trials that they’ve set up for you? Is it over 6 months?
3. If in close proximity, when is the last time you’ve sat down and chatted with your agent?
4. How long has your agent been an actual agent (FIFA Authorized)?
5. Are your goals, aligned with your agents’ goals?
6. Does your agent care about you? Or care about getting money from you and just talks the talk.
These are important questions you need to ask yourself to see if your agent is looking out for you and not just looking for a pay check.
Patience young Rooney, it usually takes an agent a good 6 months to a year to find you your first quality trial. By the time they know what you want, put your portfolio (CV, Highlight tape etc) together and contact teams it takes some time to get your name out there.
There will be both positive and negative responses in that time and your job is to trust your agent is looking for the club and trial that is the right fit for you.
My first couple trials were not great, and I had to arrange them more or less myself.
By the time I got an agent and they put my things together and contacted clubs it was a good six to seven months. I then started to get quality trials with quality teams, 1st division in Serbia, Ireland and a showcase in London.
So stay in touch with them, have patience and always be prepared, you never know when you opportunity will come. The last thing you want to happen is to give up hope, then get an email saying you have an opportunity somewhere in a handful of days and you get winded running down the stairs to tell somebody.
Any soccer agent will work not only to get you a tryout but the right tryout, and sometimes that is more important than anything.
Keep the faith, sometimes small doors, open into large rooms.
A good soccer agent is an honest one. One that tells you exactly what they think they can do for you and doesn't stop until he/she does.
But you need to be patient, don't think the day they get back to you and tell you they'll find you something that that following week or month they'll have a trial ready for you. These things take time and expect it to be a long process.
Well it could be poor timing based on transfer windows or the needs of teams but the most obvious reason is most likely that you do not have the resume that sparks their interest on first glance.
The other biggest reason is you didn't give them what they wanted in that first point of contact (email usually).
What I mean by this is you didn't provide them with a professional, organized email with your CV (with references), Highlight Video, Full Game tape and some what I call head tilters. Something to get them to tilt their heard and read further, this could be a National Team Camp, All-American, MVP, Scouted by top club etc.
There is always something you can do to get a response and some interest from your first agent, if you want more details about contacting an agent with a full list and even more advice you can find it here with the Pro FIFA Soccer Agent Contact List.
It really depends on several factors such as how long they play, which level they started at and which level they currently play at, how old they are etc.
Generally as a player moves up in the ranks they will look for a soccer agent that has contacts with higher level clubs.
A player can really have as many agents as they want through their career as long as they aren’t breaking any exclusive contracts with current agents. On average a player will have between 2-4 different agents in the span of their career. If you want more info on The World's Most Powerful Agents feel free to read this article.
If you feel like it’s a chore to contact your agent knowing they will either be impossible to get a hold of or it will feel like they are only telling you what you want to hear then you may have some issues.
You know they are taking care of you based on three things:
1) They are honest with you (in terms of what level they think you can play at and if they can find you something)
2) They don’t throw you into the fire (meaning setting up a trial that isn’t professionally set up)
3) If you're always the one reaching out to them first and you only talk business.
The bottom line is you want a soccer agent that will find you a club. Ya it would be great if he was a stand up guy, funny, volunteered at a soup kitchen, husband of the year and kind to small animals but that’s all icing on the cake really.
You need to find an agent that is looking out for you, meaning puts you in a situation and a club that is the right fit for you. Not just feeding you to the lions den at a club that won’t pay, will treat you like crap and you’ll be miserable the entire time counting the days to go home and wishing you never picked up a soccer ball.
A good agent has your back and treats you like they would their own child by not throwing you into situations where you are set up for failure.
No matter your doubts about playing pro or succeeding at your first or seventh trial you should always be in your own corner. Never doubt your ability or give up on your aspirations because a trial hasn’t come up yet or the first couple didn’t go as smoothly as you anticipated. Lots of times people give up just before they are about to receive their big break, don’t be one of those, ride it out to the bitter end, no matter how bleak the end may seem.
Players and soccer agents need to be on the same page, don’t think you are bothering them or being annoying by telling them exactly how you feel and where you want to go.
If anything they will be inspired by your drive and direction will want to work that much harder for you to find you the perfect club. Although quality is obviously important, a good soccer agent plays a massive role in getting you to the next stage of your career.
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