Jonathan Barnett (sports agent)

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Jonathan Ian Barnett (born 28 January 1950) is a former British football agent and founder of the Stellar Group management company. [1] In 2019, he was named the world's most powerful sports agent, according to Forbes . [2]

Contents

Career

Barnett founded the Stellar Group talent agency in 1992, with cricket player Brian Lara among Barnett's first clients. [3] Barnett went on to represent some of the world's best football players. His client list has included Jack Grealish, Gareth Bale, Saul Niguez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jordan Pickford.[ citation needed ] Barnett brokered the £85.3 million move of Bale to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur. [3] He is credited as being the man who brought Lennox Lewis into the boxing world.[ citation needed ]

The Stellar Group was acquired by ICM Partners in 2020, which was in turn acquired by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2022. [4] Barnett retired as a sports agent from CAA in 2024. [3]

In 2006, Barnett was banned by the Football Association (FA) for 12 months and fined £100,000 for arranging a secret rendezvous between his client Ashley Cole and Chelsea F.C. representatives. [5]

In June 2025, Barnett was sued, along with CAA, by a woman in California who alleged that Barnett "trafficked" her from Australia to the UK in 2017, where he allegedly "tortured" and sexually assaulted her more than 39 times over six years in addition to making "repeated threats to her life and the lives of her minor children," allegations which Barnett has denied. [3] [6]

Personal life

Barnett is Jewish and is a member of St John's Wood synagogue. [5] He is married and has three children. He is a supporter of Arsenal F.C.

References

  1. ↑ Chambers remains in limbo
  2. ↑ Belzer, Jason (21 October 2019). "The World's Most Powerful Sports Agents 2019: Soccer's Jonathan Barnett Takes Over At No. 1". Forbes . Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hughes, Matt (4 July 2025). "Football agent Jonathan Barnett accused of trafficking, torture and rape". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "World's Most Valuable Sports Agencies". Forbes. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 "The JC Profile: Jonathan Barnett". Jewish Chronicle. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  6. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2025/09/04/sex-slave-torture-rape-claims-super-agent-jonathan-barnett/


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