June 19 – The latest report from the CIES Football Observatory highlights the growing dominance of a select few major sports agencies in European football, with the top firms now representing player assets worth billions of euros across the big five leagues.
At the top of the table sits the CAA Stellar/Base group, the result of a consolidation drive led by American powerhouse Creative Artists Agency. According to CIES’ statistical model, CAA manages players with a combined transfer value exceeding €2 billion — a staggering lead over competitors and reflective of the firm’s aggressive expansion strategy.
Two other agencies cross the billion-euro mark: Gestifute, the Portuguese firm founded by super-agent Jorge Mendes, and Wasserman Group, another Los Angeles-based agency that has rapidly grown via acquisitions in Europe and beyond.
Both CAA and Wasserman now represent over 100 players each across the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 — making them crucial players in the transfer ecosystem. Gestifute takes a different route, focusing on a smaller portfolio of elite players, often involved in some of the sport’s most high-profile moves.
The rankings only include agencies with at least two clients in the top five leagues. Agents who solely represent family members were excluded from the analysis.
The report comes with FIFA looking to fully implement its new Football Agent Regulations (FFAR). The rules allow agents to take up to 10% of transfer fees and 3–5% of player wages, but the cap was suspended following multiple legal challenges. The legal issues were eventually referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which issued a positive opinion of FFAR last month ahead of a future final ruling.
Large agencies such as CAA and Wasserman are better equipped to handle compliance with any new rules, which could allow the gap between big and small agencies to only grow.
Bigger agencies also gain more influence by managing clusters of players at single clubs, creating influence over squad-building and wage structures. Their role in shaping team dynamics has made them powerful brokers — or gatekeepers — in top-tier transfers.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1750370991labto1750370991ofdlr1750370991owedi1750370991sni@g1750370991niwe.1750370991yrrah1750370991