World’s biggest football agency Stellar Group – who arranged Gareth Bale’s £90million move to Real Madrid in 2013 – is taken over by US-based entertainment group ICM PARTNERS
- Stellar Group, the world’s biggest football agency, has been taken over
- US-based entertainment agency ICM PARTNERS have purchased the company
- Stellar Group arranged Gareth Bale’s £90million move to Real Madrid in 2013
- Jonathan Barnett, Gareth Bale’s agent, will continue to run the new merger
- ICM Stellar Sports will also be run by co-founder and chairman David Manasseh
The world’s biggest football agency Stellar Group, responsible for Gareth Bale’s £90million to Real Madrid in 2013, has been bought by US-based entertainment agency ICM PARTNERS.
Stellar founder and chairman Jonathan Barnett will continue to run the day to day operations of the newly created ICM Stellar Sports.
He will become its executive chairman along with Stellar co-founder and co-chairman David Manasseh.
Stellar Group, responsible for Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid in 2013, has been taken over
ICM Stellar Sports has bought the company owned by Jonathan Bartnett (above), Bale’s agent
The acquisition announced by Barnett and ICM PARTNERS chief executive Chris Silbermann on Thursday gives the stateside entertainment giant access to Stellar’s 800 athletes, and opens up the US market to Stellar’s clients.
It brings together the representatives of England stars Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, and the entertainment giant responsible for looking after Samuel L Jackson, Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Keaton.
‘It was the right time and a great opportunity to build a global sports division for ICM,’ Barnett told Sportsmail.
Co-chairman David Manasseh (right) will also be in charge of new group ICM Stellar Sports
‘All Stellar Group employees will join ICM Stellar Sports and continue to operate the agency as before,’ a joint statement said.
The New York Times reported in 2017 that Barnett was close to selling Stellar but a group of investors failed to raise funds for a deal worth in excess of 100m US dollars.
Stellar, whose current contracts total close to $3 billion, has added NFL players to its client list in recent years and a move to the MLS was mooted for Bale before he eventually opted to return to Tottenham on loan this summer.
