Mino Raiola reignites Sir Alex Ferguson feud with latest comments

Football agent Mino Raiola he said that he “doesn’t care” what former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says.

His comments came during an interview with the Athletic, in which the 53-year-old also dubbed Ferguson’s criticism of him as “the biggest compliment” he could have received.

Raiola and Ferguson have had a turbulent relationship, which stemmed largely from the exit of Paul Pogba from United in 2012.

Pogba – who is a client of Raiola – left the club to join Italian giants Juventus in 2012. Ferguson criticised the agent over Pogba’s move, saying that he “distrusted” Raiola “from the moment I met him“.

The former United boss said in January of that year that the French midfielder “wanted to stay“, and that contract negotiations were underway. Pogba subsequently joined Juve in March.

Ferguson said in his 2015 autobiography that Raiola was one of the agents “I simply do not like”, and later called him a “s***bag” during a talk with the Sale Sharks rugby union team in 2018.

Now, the agent has reignited the feud with his latest comments to the Athletic.

Ferguson criticism “my biggest compliment” – Raiola

He explained: “When Ferguson criticised me, that was my biggest compliment anybody could give me.

“Ferguson is used to people coming in and ‘Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes sir’.

“All I have to say that when Ferguson left Manchester United the club’s owner [Glazers], by buying back Paul Pogba, told me that I was right.

“Because I didn’t want to take Paul Pogba away. He [Ferguson] didn’t believe in Paul Pogba.

“So when Ferguson says, ‘I don’t like him’, it’s the biggest compliment that I could have.

“It’s like saying Sepp Blatter says, ‘I don’t like him’. Fantastic.

“I don’t care what Ferguson says.

“With Mr Ferguson, or [Pep] Guardiola, I have this problem – and I think that it is changing now – that we should submit to them because ‘otherwise, tomorrow, you don’t do a player with Manchester United’.

“I don’t give a f*** if I never do another player with Manchester United.”

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