Rafaela Pimenta has never scored a goal or led a team. However, the 53-year-old Brazilian is the only female soccer player on Forbes' 2026 "50 Over 50" list.
Every year in January, global media house Forbes publishes a list of 50 women who have achieved positions of power, influence and authority - women who serve as beacons to others.
The list includes, among others, Oscar winner Penelope Cruz and Dame Sarah Mulally, the first woman to hold the position of archbishop.
As the first "super agent" in the history of football, Rafaela Pimenta has a huge influence in the sport.
Her clients include Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Liverpool coach Arne Slott, and 17-year-old Mexican super talent Gilberto Mora.
At first glance, she exudes warmth, but as soon as the cameras turn on - Pimenta becomes serious and direct.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, she spoke about a number of topics, including the position of women in football and the problems of the current transfer system.
"There has to be a change. The clubs have too much power," Pimenta points out.
"Players are sometimes hostages of the situation. I'm not fighting for chaos - the transfer system is necessary for football to function. But there has to be a balance."
In the midst of the transfer window, Pimenta is clear:
"At the end of every transfer window, someone will cry. There's always a player who had to leave, but the club wants a million more."
In October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that some FIFA transfer rules violated EU law, after which FIFA introduced a temporary framework related to compensation and proving breach of contract.
"Football used to be more humane," adds Pimenta.
"Directors and owners had a special relationship with players. Today, there is a danger that a player becomes just an item on the balance sheet. And an asset has no voice, no emotions, no human needs. The challenge is to find the balance between 'assets' and a human being."
Players as "mini companies"
Rafaela Pimenta's career has developed during a period of great change in football. Haaland is a global star, and with that comes enormous pressure and expectations.
"Agents who think they can do it all on their own are either delusional or making promises they can't keep," she says.
"Today, players have become mini-companies. Media, digital platforms, sponsors, investors - the opportunities off the field are enormous."
Haaland, for example, also has his own YouTube channel with more than 1,28 million subscribers.
"If we make a mistake - it's over"
Despite the big names he represents - including Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt and Nousair Mazraoui - Pimenta stresses there is no room for complacency.
"You have to prove yourself every day. If we make a mistake - it's over. Football has no memory, just like the transfer window."
Sexism and false assumptions
It is often mistakenly believed that Pimenta is just the "heir" of Mino Raiola, with whom she collaborated for a long time, but she emphasizes that she has always been herself.
"He told me I was the only one who said 'no' to him. The others said 'yes' to even the craziest ideas," he recalls.
"I thought the collaboration would last five minutes. It lasted 35 years."
However, her path was not easy - especially due to gender inequality.
"When I started, there were extremely few women in decision-making positions. You could count them on the fingers of one hand," says Pimenta.
"I saw a lot of women in clubs doing serious, responsible jobs - in scouting, administration, technical sectors - but without recognition and real power."
She describes her experience as a hallway with many doors.
"You go past everyone - the secretaries, the scouts, the technical staff - and eventually you get to the last door. Behind it there was always a man."
Although she is one of the most influential names in world football today, Pimenta speaks openly about the insults and prejudice she experienced.
"At the first meeting, a sports director said to me: 'Do you really exist? I thought you were a prostitute from Brazil.' From that moment until today, a lot has changed, but not enough."
As he points out, sexism in football is often not overt, but covert.
"Men will use gender to destabilize you. They will talk behind your back to make you look weaker, more fragile, like you have less power."
A particularly illustrative example is the contract negotiations, when, after she had outlined all the key points of the agreement herself, a club official told her male associate: "You taught her well."
"He thought it was a compliment. It actually showed how deeply rooted the prejudice is that a woman can't be the one to lead negotiations."
Rubiales, Hermoso and double standards
Commenting on the case of former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who kissed captain Jenny Hermoso without her consent after winning the 2023 World Cup, Pimenta clearly points to double standards.
"Would you do that to Messi? Would you kiss him on the mouth or cheek while presenting him with the trophy? If you did - would you be sacked immediately?"
For Pimenta, the problem is not just the act, but the system's reaction.
"The most shocking thing is that it took so long to make a decision."
Today, she says, she personally has the respect she built over the years, but the fight continues for the sake of the younger generations.
"I don't stand up for myself anymore - they respect me. But new girls are coming. I don't want them to go through what I went through."
As a lecturer on the UEFA course for football agents, she often gets the same question from young women: Do you have any advice?
"I have. Don't accept abuse. You don't have to sexualize yourself to be someone in this industry. Knowledge, integrity, and professionalism are enough - and they must be enough."
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