Eddie Hearn has explained how he and boxing champion Anthony Joshua are building a football agency that could attract interest from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Initial idea floated by boxing superstarMeetings and talent scouting taking placeWill handle all aspects of footballer's careerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Hearn, who is the head of Matchroom Sport, is buying into an exciting venture that was dreamt up by Olympic gold medal winner and former heavyweight title holder Joshua. They are planning to create a company that will help to manage every aspect of a professional footballer’s career.
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Hearn has told the , with meetings and talent scouting already taking place: “We've been talking about this for years and fine-tuning the plans behind the scenes over the past couple of months. But, I hadn't planned to speak about it publicly just yet. AJ's gone and revealed the whole thing. I had no idea he was going to post about it (on Instagram) but once he did it went mental. Players, clubs, sponsors, media, everyone was coming to us.”
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The business model in question will handle sponsorships, brand deals, PR, endorsements, lifestyle, logistics, and long-term career strategy, with Hearn adding: “It will be a 360-degree service for players. From a commercial level, from a transfer level, from a concierge level, booking restaurants and sorting private jets – everything. We're not just talking about moving you from one club to another. It's about shaping your career and life on and off the pitch. We don't expect to be a nine-to-five business, they can use us as they please to benefit their careers.”
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Joshua’s profile will help the new brand to gain access to players that others cannot reach, with Hearn saying of ambitious plans to get superstar clients on board: “I'm not interested in coming in, with all due respect, and representing a couple of lower league players. I want to enter at the highest level. I want to leverage all of our contacts globally – particularly, perhaps, in the Middle East – to represent the biggest names in the sport.
“So we've definitely been keeping our ear to the ground when it comes to players who might be seeking new representation or looking for something different. Because again, when we launch, we want to do so with players already on board – not launch the agency and then, a year later, people are asking, ‘So who have you actually signed?’ So yeah, we believe we could move quite quickly when it comes to talent.”