It’s probably fair to say that football agents don’t have the best of reputations.
Unfortunately, some bad apples have lined their own pockets and tainted the barrel, but
the majority are hard-working, trying to do the best for their young proteges.
Super-agent John Viola , who was one of the UK’s first official FIFA agents and has worked with all the top clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Celtic, Rangers, and Manchester United, has seen it all over the past 35 years.
But now, he is using all his experience and knowledge to train a new breed of agents that have flocked to the industry since regulations were relaxed in 2015.
And over the past 10 years, more than 750 men and women have passed through the doors of the John Viola Academy from countries all over the world and qualified to work in the field.
He said:” The loosening of regulations saw a huge influx of wannabe agents into the space, and we saw an opportunity to use our unrivalled expertise to give these new entries into the industry the correct foundation of training to do the job correctly and succeed.
“We have a passion for helping our students finally achieve their dream career in the beautiful game and pride ourselves in our ability to use our extensive knowledge to take them from complete novice to industry-ready football agent in a matter of months. “
Successful candidates have come from all kinds of backgrounds, including a London doctor Babatunde Elliot who completed the academy’s training and is now working successfully with a Nigerian football academy. Another graduate is Andrew Stott, who runs a construction business in Scotland but who successfully scouted a non-league English player and negotiated a deal with the then Scottish Premiership club Livingstone within months of becoming an agent.
Another outstanding success story is former mortgage broker Ladi Salami, who was mentored by John just as the academy was taking off. Salami took on board all the advice, started signing lower league players, and then hit the jackpot in 2020, bringing Nigerian star Odion Ighalo from top Chinese club Shangai Shenhua to sign on loan for Manchester United when they were short of strikers.
Another stand-out success is Zviadi Didberidze, originally from Georgia, who was working as a delivery driver before switching onto a training course, delivering 18 plus transfer deals in his first two years, including players to his home club of Torpedo of Kutaisi.
John, now 65, has represented some of the biggest names in football with partner and fellow agent Phil McTaggart, including World Cup winners Roberto Carlos, former France star Christian Karembeu, and Chelsea winger Andre Schurrle in a star-studded career at the helm of 451 Football Consultancy.
Working with his team, including his son Johnny, who helps to oversee the academy and get candidates through the tough FIFA agents exam, he has operated at the highest levels of the sport on a global basis.
Born and bred on the rough streets of East Glasgow, he went to the “University of Life doing a plethora of jobs before starting his own business as a financial advisor and then as a football agent, raising a £100,000 bond to gain entry into the business which was then a requisite but no longer required.
He added, “It’s been an amazing journey with lots of highs along the road. I’ve represented hundreds of players and worked with some of the world’s top clubs in Europe and South America, breaking transfer fee and wage records at UK clubs. In the Academy, our core business values centre around being reliable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy experts who are committed to doing what we can to help our students become ethical, professional, and industry-ready football agents. And most importantly, doing so in a friendly, approachable, respectful, and relatable manner throughout. “