Profile
The Italian born agent is a specialist with a unique set of skills. Having worked as DoF in the Premier League and having sold numerous football clubs, Roberto has an in-depth understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in a football club. This has enhanced his credibility and contacts in the industry.
After obtaining his university degree, Roberto De Fanti started working for Gaetano Fedele Consulting in 1999. The firm managed players such as Italian footballer Fabio Cannavaro, who was named FIFA World Player of the Year and who won the Ballon d’Or award in 2006.
From 2000 to 2002 Roberto acted as Chief of Italian Scouting for Consport Group Srl, working with pioneering agent Dario Canovi, who managed players such as Alessandro Nesta and Marco di Vaio.
In 2002 he became an official FIFA licensed agent with the Italian Football Association, FIGC. In the same year he co-founded F.P.A. – a football players’ agency located in Rome which transferred world-renowned players such as Cafu and Assunção.
Roberto left FPA in April 2004 and in June of the same year became CEO of International Talents Management – a football players’ agency that specialised in transfers (predominantly from Northern Europe). At one point he represented eight players of the starting eleven that made up the Finnish national team that nearly qualified for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship.
In February 2013 Roberto was offered the position of consultant to Premier League club Sunderland AFC. In June of the same year he was appointed as the club’s Director of Football (DoF), becoming the club’s first DoF and the youngest DoF ever of the Premier League.
Roberto left Sunderland AFC in February 2014 and decided to specialise in the brokering of the sale of football clubs, accomplishing the sale of Leyton Orient and Reading FC. In the summer of 2014 he transferred the two-times Champions League winner Esteban Cambiasso from Inter Milan to Leicester City.
In 2016 Roberto once again became a full-time agent and founded RDF Football Ltd.
As CEO of the London-based football agency, Roberto transfers and manages players from across the globe. He speaks English, Italian and Spanish fluently, which makes it easy for him to broker international deals.
RDF Football Ltd offers its clients a highly individualised service, with Roberto cherry-picking his players and following them personally as they progress through their careers.
Roberto has also contributed to the writing of 2 books:
-” Un calcio al Virus” (Kicking the Virus), A chapter dedicated on how Italian and English football handled covid differently.
– “BREXIT FOOTBALL CLUB”, writing the chapter “The New Era of Football Agents”, Covers how transfer rules are implemented differently post Brexit and the long term repercussions for both agents and clubs.
In December 2022 Roberto starred in the docu-reality “Deadline Day”, produced by Pitch International and airing on Sky Documentaries and Sky Showcase.
About Roberto
Profile
The Italian born agent is a specialist with a unique set of skills. Having worked as DoF in the Premier League and having sold numerous football clubs, Roberto has an in-depth understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in a football club. This has enhanced his credibility and contacts in the industry.
After obtaining his university degree, Roberto De Fanti started working for Gaetano Fedele Consulting in 1999. The firm managed players such as Italian footballer Fabio Cannavaro, who was named FIFA World Player of the Year and who won the Ballon d’Or award in 2006.
From 2000 to 2002 Roberto acted as Chief of Italian Scouting for Consport Group Srl, working with pioneering agent Dario Canovi, who managed players such as Alessandro Nesta and Marco di Vaio.
In 2002 he became an official FIFA licensed agent with the Italian Football Association, FIGC. In the same year he co-founded F.P.A. – a football players’ agency located in Rome which transferred world-renowned players such as Cafu and Assunção.
Roberto left FPA in April 2004 and in June of the same year became CEO of International Talents Management – a football players’ agency that specialised in transfers (predominantly from Northern Europe). At one point he represented eight players of the starting eleven that made up the Finnish national team that nearly qualified for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship.
In February 2013 Roberto was offered the position of consultant to Premier League club Sunderland AFC. In June of the same year he was appointed as the club’s Director of Football (DoF), becoming the club’s first DoF and the youngest DoF ever of the Premier League.
Roberto left Sunderland AFC in February 2014 and decided to specialise in the brokering of the sale of football clubs, accomplishing the sale of Leyton Orient and Reading FC. In the summer of 2014 he transferred the two-times Champions League winner Esteban Cambiasso from Inter Milan to Leicester City.
In 2016 Roberto once again became a full-time agent and founded RDF Football Ltd.
As CEO of the London-based football agency, Roberto transfers and manages players from across the globe. He speaks English, Italian and Spanish fluently, which makes it easy for him to broker international deals.
RDF Football Ltd offers its clients a highly individualised service, with Roberto cherry-picking his players and following them personally as they progress through their careers.
Roberto has also contributed to the writing of 2 books:
-” Un calcio al Virus” (Kicking the Virus), A chapter dedicated on how Italian and English football handled covid differently.
– “BREXIT FOOTBALL CLUB”, writing the chapter “The New Era of Football Agents”, Covers how transfer rules are implemented differently post covid and the long term repercussions for both agents and clubs.
-In December 2022 Roberto starred in the docu-reality “Deadline Day”, produced by Pitch International and airing on Sky Documentaries and Sky Showcase.
My trusted team
Members
My team at RDF Football are the ultimate professionals with years of experience dealing with financial, legal, brand management and public relations matters of the football world, for both professional players and football clubs
