We’ve seen some reputable football agents who have played major roles in some of the transfer moves that shook the football world. One of such reputable football agents is Pini Zahavi.
His full name is Zahavi, Pini Pinhas “Pini” and he was born in Israel on August 24, 1943. He can be described as an Israeli football agent and was born in Ness Ziona in Israel and has his office headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Pini Zahavi’s Childhood
Zahavi was born into a Jewish family on August 24, 1942, in Ness Ziona in Israel. His father ran a store that sold building supplies to several area contractors, and he inherited the family business. He is the youngest of three children, with two older sisters and one younger brother.
Zahavi is divorced and he has two kids. He maintains two residences: one in the northern part of Tel Aviv, and another in the Marble Arch neighborhood of London. He is the grand uncle of the football player Alex Zahavi.
Pini Zahavi Net Worth 2023
Pini Zahavi’s net worth is estimated to be $1.1 million as of the year 2022. This figure accounts for the overall value of all of his assets, including his real estate.
Zahavi went began work immediately after leaving school, and began his career as a football journalist. He started as a reporter for the Israeli newspapers Yedioth Ahronoth, Hadashot Hasport, and Hadashot at one point in his career.
Before we proceed, it should be known that the Israeli football agent has played some significant transfer roles in European football. Zahavi was involved in the change of ownership of both Chelsea and Portsmouth.
He was also involved in the transfer of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United to Manchester United and subsequently to Manchester United.
In 1979, Zahavi was instrumental in bringing Israeli defender Avi Cohen from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Liverpool, where he would go on to play for the English club. As a sports journalist, he worked throughout the 1980s and built up a network of contacts throughout that decade.
In 1998, he walked away from his job as a journalist, and the following year, he signed the second of his two contracts.
This marked the beginning of his career as an agent, and he continued to build close ties in the football world by organizing friendly internationals in Israel.
He invited players such as Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish to vacation at his villa in Eilat, and even brought oranges to Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground, as a gift for players and staff members.
Robert Lewandowski, Christopher Nkunku, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Alex Telles, and Julian Weigl are among the celebrities who are now signed with Pini Zahavi as customers.
1. The first move that Zahavi was involved in was in 1979, when he assisted in the sale of Avi Cohen, an Israeli defender, from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Liverpool for the sum of £200,000.
2. A year later, Zahavi negotiated for Manchester City midfielder Barry Silkman to join Maccabi Tel Aviv on loan. Later on, when Silkman became a football agent, Zahavi would become linked with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
3. Another Israeli player, striker Ronnie Rosenthal, was able to move from Standard Liège to Liverpool thanks to Zahavi’s efforts in the transfer process in the year 1990.
4. In 1997, Israeli footballer Eyal Berkovic was traded from Southampton to West Ham United thanks to Zahavi, who acted as the middleman in the deal.
5, Zahavi’s relationship with Berkovic resulted in the player’s move from Maccabi Haifa to Premier League club Southampton. As of then, the Saints were being managed by Graeme Souness.
6. Rio Ferdinand’s moves from West Ham to Leeds United in 2000 for £18 million and from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002 for £30 million were handled by Zahavi, who is credited as Ferdinand’s agent. As a result of the sale, Zahavi earned 1.13 million pounds.
7. In 2003, Zahavi played a pivotal role in Roman Abramovich’s acquisition of Chelsea Football Club and the accompanying influx of players.
Pini Zahavi’s career as a football agent has stood the test of time and it appears that the Israeli football agent is still relevant in the world of football.
