Luis Ferrer: “I told Mbappé: ‘Wait four years and make the exit door bigger”

Serves AS by teleconference, making a hole in his busy Parisian schedule. He has just arrived from Argentina, a market that he also looks at, although there are many pearls that come out of the peripheral districts of Paris those that occupy him in his agency LF360. Before starting it, he spent 11 years in the technical secretariat of PSG. Luis Marcos Ferrer was the protagonist of one of the historical operations of football, which led Mbappé to Paris avoiding the interest of Madrid, which was even made into a documentary on Canal + France.

How does Luis Ferrer present himself?

I am an Argentine, from Cordoba, who is making his way in France and in the world. And it is thanks to football, which opens doors for you and gives you surprises. I was also fortunate that I had a family bond with the person who brought many people here, from Osvaldo Piazza, who marked an epoch in Saint Etienne, to Carlos Bianchi, passing through Omar Fonseca, David Trezeguet … This person is called Rafael Santos.

And did you support him?

He is a relative of relatives, and as a child he told me: “I am going to take you to play football in France.” And he fulfilled.

How did it happen?

I was lucky that River wanted to sign me for his quarry as a young man. I met powerful people like Marcelo Gallardo, Hernán Crespo … Then I went to Sarmiento de Junin. We upgrade. I was 21 years old… And it was there that Rafael Santos appeared to bring me to Grenoble. The start was difficult, I did not have the language or dual nationality, and that made things difficult for me.

What happened after?

Well, I played ten years between Second and Third. But look, there I already saw that mine was the market, moving players, devising strategies to strengthen teams. And my career in that sense started at Nice. At that time everything was different! In the main teams were the president and his friend, and they put together a team. Now everything is hyper-professionalized. Each staff is different.

And how is the PSG?

I was working there for eleven years… They have been several stages and very different. Bear in mind that PSG signed me in 2009, when the capital of Qatar had not yet entered.

What exactly are you in charge of?

In recent times, especially to bring players there with a view to revaluing them and having a good later sale. Bear in mind that there has always been a limitation, that of Financial Fair Play, and that part of the business, that of selling players, was also important for PSG.

I understand…

Then there were surprises. Like, for example, Lo Celso, which was one of my operations. Nobody expected him to establish himself in the first team, but Emery was there to bet on him. But yes, my job was to bring footballers not only for the first team, but to make them profitable.

What do you keep from those 11 years in Paris?

With what I learned from Antero Henrique… I had a great connection with him. We did Neymar, Mbappé… Incredible things.

Were you his trusted man?

He had a very large team, Joao Alfonso was the scouting director, Maxwell was the coordinator… Later, when Leonardo arrived, I felt that I had to make my own way.

What is Al-Khelaïfi like?

I have a lot of respect for him. He is one hundred percent educated, he has a great human quality, and every time we had to request him for a player, he made himself available to collaborate. It happened, for example, in Operation Mbappé.

How was the device to sign Mbappé?

The PSG overturned a lot. Antero was a teacher in this. Mbappé was target number one. And that Neymar had already come. Already then the potential of the boy was seen, although he was 17 years old, and it was considered a strategic move.

How did they manage to sign him?

It was a long job, almost a year. And Unai Emery was vital to bring him in, he got wet and told him: “With me you are going to play the starter. Either way, you are my player ”. And that’s great to be able to convince someone when you don’t have the same tools, like, for example, a whole Real Madrid. And above there was a difficulty, the 222 million of Neymar had caused that the business could not be done at that time, but one year ahead.

So Emery …

Today there is no coach in the world who promises you the starting position. And he did, and it was vital to our work. We were talking about a 17-year-old boy and a whole PSG loaded with stars.

Were you also key?

Here in France it has already been counted, yes. It was my priority to always be close to him, to keep the thread, it is the mandate they gave me. I had carte blanche on this issue.

What kinds of things did he do?

Well, I was even in Ibiza with him right after his signing, well, leaving it closed and staying on loan in Monaco. You had to take care of it. That’s when I realized that I was never going to be the Kylian that I knew months ago. At 18, everyone knew him on the island. And that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

And his or her environment?

Mbappé has an important help. His father is a soccer man and his mother was also an athlete. And it is very well advised. And having that close is very important for kids who are starting out. I think he has chosen well so far in his career.

Did you ever give it up in that operation?

Many … Because behind was Madrid, which was his great dream. And Zidane’s Madrid. When Madrid crosses your path in an operation of this type, it is rare for it to come out … But it did.

What was the main argument to convince you?

How young he was. I told him: “Stay here, Paris is your city, the World Cup is just around the corner, win first here, you always have time to go …”. I would say to him: “Do three or four years here and then you go to Madrid. Do you have time. It is better to arrive through an even bigger door ”. That was my argument … What happens from now on, if it is fulfilled, is no longer my thing and I do not have information.

How has Mbappé lived these years holding out without renewing?

He has always been very clear with his interventions in the Press. He has been explaining everything. Until everything is signed there is nothing decided, football is like that. So let’s see what happens.

What is Mbappé really like?

I am conditioned, I am not objective, but I have not seen anything like it. It is not just the player, it is the person. How you are focused on what you do. For me, he is not yet at his best.

Will it grow more?

It has not yet peaked. He lacks the Champions League, although he has already won a lot … but he has more to give.

You were saying that your dream is also Madrid. Did he ever tell you about that dream?

I will tell you an anecdote. In this strategy that we drew up, there was a moment when Antero Henrique and I visited him at his house in the Bondy neighborhood. It was the end of May, almost with the season over. And suddenly I went to the bathroom, and even in the bathroom there were photos of Madrid … And I called Antero: “Go into the bathroom and see what’s there.” That was our situation …

It’s hard to imagine how they managed to get him to stay in Paris …

It’s football.

And that football is now dominated by the French quarry?

French football is clearly in its prime. We are the best exporters of talent. Look in Spain, the best players come from here: Benzema, Griezmann, Dembelé, Lenglet, Koundé … And the same thing happens in the Premier. There is a real explosion. And Mbappé has a long way to go.

Why has this circumstance occurred?

France dominates the market because it is bringing out the ideal type of player for football that is practiced now, who combines quality and energy, strength … That mix that exists in France in the colonies is ideal. I live here, and I tell you that, in my opinion, there is as much or more talent in France now than in Argentina. And the boom is especially happening in and around Paris.

Is that why you have focused on your own agency, LF360?

I had many proposals to go to other teams after PSG, but I felt compelled to try to give the players a bonus, a comprehensive management that encompasses all fields. I try to do things well and, I assure you, at the moment Paris has many players to give to European football. That is what we are focused on now.