Brazilian Football Agent Becomes First Woman from Sport on Forbes Power List
London, 1 February 2026
Rafaela Pimenta has shattered barriers by becoming the first woman from football to feature on Forbes’ prestigious ‘50 over 50’ list for 2026. The 53-year-old Brazilian agent represents some of football’s biggest stars, including Erling Haaland and Liverpool manager Arne Slot. Her achievement comes despite facing shocking discrimination early in her career, including being mistaken for ‘a prostitute from Brazil’ by a sporting director. Pimenta advocates for urgent reform of football’s transfer system, arguing that players have become ‘hostages’ with clubs wielding excessive power. Her inclusion signals growing recognition of women’s leadership in football administration and serves as inspiration for breaking gender barriers in sport.
Challenging Football’s Power Structure
Pimenta has emerged as a vocal critic of football’s current transfer system, using her platform to advocate for fundamental changes that would better protect players’ interests. “There needs to be a change, there’s too much power for clubs,” she told the BBC in an exclusive interview [1]. Her concerns centre on what she describes as an increasingly dehumanised system where “players become an asset on the balance sheet. An asset has no voice, no feelings, no human needs” [1]. This critique gains particular weight given her representation of high-profile clients including Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Liverpool manager Arne Slot, and promising 17-year-old Mexican talent Gilberto Mora [1].
Legal Winds of Change
Pimenta’s calls for reform align with recent legal developments that could reshape football’s transfer landscape. In October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found that FIFA’s transfer rules violated EU laws, leading to the implementation of an interim framework [1]. This ruling provides a legal foundation for the kind of systemic changes Pimenta advocates. “Football used to be more human…Today, football is becoming so much of a business there is a risk that players become an asset on the balance sheet,” she explained, highlighting how commercial pressures have transformed the sport’s fundamental character [1]. The agent emphasises the precarious nature of her profession, noting that “if we screw it up, it’s dead. Football has no memory on the pitch and it’s the same with the transfer window” [1].
Confronting Gender Discrimination
Pimenta’s journey to the top has been marked by shocking encounters with gender-based discrimination that would be unthinkable in most professional environments today. She recounts a particularly egregious incident from early in her career when a sporting director told her, “finally you exist, I thought you were a prostitute from Brazil” [3][5]. This experience exemplifies the deeply entrenched prejudices she has faced throughout her career. “We’ve come a long way since the first meeting I had with a sporting director who said that to me, to the point where we are today. But many men continue to use gender to unbalance you. They talk behind my back to make me feel fragile or with less power,” she revealed in her BBC interview [3][5].
Inspiring the Next Generation
Beyond her commercial success, Pimenta has taken on an educational role, serving as a teacher on UEFA agents’ courses where she actively mentors aspiring female professionals [1]. Her message to young women entering the industry is uncompromising: “Don’t take abuse. You don’t have to sexualise yourself to be somebody in this industry” [1]. This guidance stems from her recognition that “with some people, it’s so embedded in them that women are inferior to men or that women don’t know football” [1]. Pimenta’s inclusion in Forbes’ ‘50 over 50’ list for 2026 serves as tangible proof that barriers can be broken through persistence and excellence [1][3][5]. On 1st February 2026, she expressed gratitude on Instagram to the BBC and journalist Simon Stone for “allowing me to talk about not so popular topics,” acknowledging the platform’s importance in highlighting these critical issues [2].