Every football agent has a unique story about how they got into this business of managing footballers, profiling them, providing financial advice and marketing them to potential suitors.
Some became player agents as a fallback career after retiring from coaching and playing football, whereas, for others, it was love at first sight. They just wanted raw talent in action by chance and, from then, decided to manage such gems.
For South African agent, Ntobatsi Masegela, it was his insurance broker brother who ignited the fire and passion for representing professional footballers.
Even if he had not become an agent, one certain thing was that Masegela and football were inseparable. After all, his entire family is football-oriented.
The fact that Masegela’s brother took care of the financial well-being of footballers ignited more fire for him to make a career out of the business of marketing players.
TRACING HIS JOURNEY
In the year 2014, he ended up establishing Footballerz Sports Marketing which has become a strong firm for many DStv Premiership footballers.
Tracing his journey into the player agency, Masegela discussed how his brother, who was an insurance broker, influenced his passion for becoming an agent.
“My brother was an insurance broker and started looking after professional footballers’ financial affairs,” Masegela told FARPost.
“His first client was Lebogang [Mokoena], and I was like: ‘I wanna be that but not in finance.”
Not that getting into this business was a stroll in the park, Masegela had to think deep and figure out how he could reconcile his love for football and turn it into a business.
That thought process was draining mentally, but it was worth all the meditation that followed, the 31-year-old agent admitted.
THE POWER OF RESEARCH
“There was a time where I sat alone, and I was like: ‘how can a person like me who loves football and business make the two gel together?’
A bit of reading books here and there and some piece of advice from the brother made things even easier.
“I did some research, and my brother asked why can’t I become a football agent because I love football,” he said.
Being the methodical and organised person that he is, Masegela understood the need for more knowledge and insight into the intricacies of the football business. He ended up going to college to study Sports Management.
“I then studied Sports Management. After that, I got an internship to work with Prosport International,” he said.
While Prosport helped Masegela take the baby steps in player management, he soon realised that he needed to do things his way.
“I was like: ‘this is me, that’s what I want to do, but with Prosport, it didn’t work out. I then started my own company in 2014, and that’s how I became an agent,” he added.
Sooner than later, he got his break by getting on board Mamelodi Sundowns’ Grant Mangerman, who is currently on loan at Tshwane rivals SuperSport United, as his first client.
“Cebo Meyiwa, Siyabonga Mbatha and Bantu Mzwakali were my first clients, and one thing that attracted me into this business was that I wanted to be different,” he said.
Being different meant that he had to do things the unusual way, not merely representing players but also providing a shoulder for them in times of need.
THE BEST DEAL
“I didn’t want to add numbers in the game because these guys need brothers,” Masegela said.
“They need people they can open up to. They need someone who can be honest with them.”
Masegela regards sealing the move for Margeman from Ajax Cape Town4 to Sundowns as one of the best deals.
“The biggest transfer was moving Grant Margeman to Mamelodi Sundowns,” he said.
The transfer was the best for Masegela because it provided him with a learning folder for the rough and tumble of the world of football agency.
“It was one of the most difficult and complicated deals I’ve ever done,” he said.
“I’d like to thank both teams for the professionalism they showed to make the deal possible.”
Furthermore, the agent has a passion for giving back to the community.
He most recently donated school shoes to local townships like Alexandra and other local areas in Pretoria.
