The prominent football agent Mino Raiola, who became a victim of a death hoax, had a net worth of $85 million (£68m) in 2020, according to Forbes. Raiola tweeted Thursday telling his friends and fans that he alive.

Local media reports in Italy said that one of football’s most powerful and high-earning agents had died. The Italy-born Dutch national wrote on his social media account: “Current health status for the ones wondering: pissed off second time in 4 months they kill me. Seem also able to ressuscitate [sic].”

His statement came after Dr Alberto Zangrillo from San Raffaele hospital in Milan told the news agency ANSA: “I’m outraged by the phone calls from pseudo-journalists speculating on the life of a man who is fighting to survive.”

Also Read | Who is Mino Raiola?

Raiola, whose clients include Paul Pogba, Erling Haaland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has reportedly been suffering from a serious illness since January.

A tweet from Raiola’s official account in January said he had undergone medical checks requiring anaesthesia, but had not had emergency surgery.

Raiola first stepped into the world of football agency by working on the deal that took the Dutch forward Bryan Roy to Foggia from Ajax. The Czech star Pavel Nedved became Raiola’s first big-name client.

Following the news of his death, Real Madrid expressed their condolences to Raiola’s family before quickly removing the tweet.

Mario Balotelli, Raiola’s client, slammed the Italian media sources that broke the news of his death: “You need to be first huh? Shame on you and seriously be ashamed of your education, respect, values and responsibilities! #staystrongmino.”

Also Read | ‘Pissed off’ Mino Raiola tweets from hospital denying reports of death

Carmine “Mino” Raiola was born on 4 November 1967. A year after his birth, he and his parents relocated to Haarlem, Netherlands. Raiola spent his childhood in the Netherlands. Raiola represented around 20 players competing in European leagues.