Apertura Sports GmbH
Asia–Europe Pathway

Germany

€27mm

Key Facts

Also known as: Apertura Sports; Apertura Sports Agency
Founded: 2010
Headquarters: Marienstraße 37, 70178 Stuttgart, Germany
Players: 52 (1st tier: 24) – Total market value: €27mm
FIFA/FA registration: FIFA-licensed players’ agent (Johannes Graf Strachwitz) – pre-registered intermediary with DFB, also listed by Danish FA as foreign agent
Languages: German, English (with Korean and Chinese-speaking staff through Asian offices)
Regions covered: Germany, wider EU (Belgium, Portugal), South Korea, China, North America
Email: info@apertura-sports.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apertura_sports/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AperturaSports/

About

Apertura Sports is a Stuttgart-based international sports agency specialising in football, with additional activities in American football and basketball. Since 2010, the firm has focused on long-term career planning for players and coaches, combining German organisational structure with deep ties to the South Korean and Chinese markets. They cooperate with Honggeun Kim from HK Sports Management.

With offices and partner structures in Stuttgart, Reutlingen, Jeju and Shanghai, Apertura positions itself as a bridge between European clubs and Asian talent, offering end-to-end support that includes contract negotiations, commercial deals and life-after-football planning.

Key People

• Co-Founder:

  • Johannes Graf Strachwitz – Founder of Apertura Sports and part of the 0711 network, experienced music, sports and event manager; FIFA-licensed players’ agent with a long track record in German football.
    Email: strachwitz@apertura-sports.com
    Phone: +49 (0)151-29104380

• Co-Founder:

  • Martin Rath – Co-owner of Apertura Sports, experienced sports business executive and manager across related companies, involved in strategic and operational leadership of the football department.
    Email: rath@apertura-sports.com
    Phone: +49 (0) 170-2834995

• Licensed agents:

  • Johannes Graf Strachwitz – FIFA-licensed players’ agent, registered with DFB and listed with DBU (Danish FA); license number not publicly disclosed.

• Scouting / staff:

  • Misghina Russom – Scout responsible for talent identification and scouting support within the Apertura network.

Client Roster

(Client roster – players listed with full name, current club in brackets, date of birth.)

Top players (current):

• Oh Hyeon-gyu (Genk) – Date of birth: 12 April 2001

• Jeong Woo-yeong (Union Berlin) – Date of birth: 20 September 1999

• Hong Hyun-seok (Nantes, on loan from Mainz 05) – Date of birth: 16 June 1999

Rising talents / U23:

• Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca) – Date of birth: 7 February 2003

Notable former clients:

• Not publicly disclosed in full; Apertura has historically worked on transfers for several South Korea internationals, including Kwon Chang-hoon.

Coaches/Staff represented (if any):

• Marcel Yahyaijan (FC 08 Villingen – Managing Director Sport)

Notable Deals

• 2019 – Jeong Woo-yeong, Bayern Munich → SC Freiburg – Permanent transfer to the Bundesliga, reported fee around €2–4.5m, with a multi-year contract and Bayern buy-back option.

• 2023 – Jeong Woo-yeong, SC Freiburg → VfB Stuttgart – Bundesliga transfer for a reported fee of about €3.8m, signing a long-term deal.

• 2024 – Oh Hyeon-gyu, Celtic → Genk – Striker moved from the Scottish Premiership champions to the Belgian Pro League on a four-year contract, with the fee widely reported in the €2.7–5m range.

• 2024 – Hong Hyun-seok, Gent → Mainz 05 – South Korea international midfielder transferred to the Bundesliga for a reported €4–6m fee and a multi-year contract.

• 2025 – Jeong Woo-yeong, VfB Stuttgart → Union Berlin – Loan move in 2024 converted into a permanent transfer in 2025, with a reported €4m fee and contract to 2026.

• 2025 – Lee Hyun-ju, Bayern Munich II → Arouca – Permanent move to Primeira Liga side Arouca, reported as a record transfer for the club at around €1.5–1.6m with a contract running to 2028.

• 2025 – Proposed Oh Hyeon-gyu, Genk → VfB Stuttgart – High-profile move reported at €20m+ that ultimately collapsed after medical-related disagreements, underlining the forward’s market value and Apertura’s ability to operate in that bracket.

Services

• Contract negotiation and renegotiation (club contracts, bonuses, performance clauses)

• Domestic and international transfers and loans, especially Germany–Belgium–Portugal and Korea–Europe pathways

• Legal and tax structuring through in-house and network expertise within the wider 0711 ecosystem

• Commercial partnerships, image rights, sponsorship and media work for athletes and coaches

• Relocation support for players and families (housing, schooling, language and cultural integration), particularly for Asian players moving to Europe

• Performance support via external partners – physical preparation, sports psychology and data-driven performance analysis

• Career planning beyond playing days, including mentoring, business opportunities and personal branding within the 0711 network

Partner Network

• Club relationships in Germany (Freiburg, Stuttgart, Mainz 05), Belgium (Genk), Portugal (Arouca) and France (Nantes) through recent transfers and loans.

• Strong pathways with South Korean clubs and the KFA through long-term involvement with Korean internationals.

• Legal, communications and marketing partners embedded in the 0711 network in Stuttgart and Reutlingen.

• Scouting partners and local fixers in South Korea and China, supported by offices and contact points in Jeju and Shanghai.

Track Record (last 3 seasons)

• Total transfers completed:

  • Double-digit number of domestic and cross-border deals across Bundesliga, Jupiler Pro League, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga, including multiple €3–6m moves for Korean internationals.

• Deals ≥ €10m:

  • No completed deals publicly confirmed over €10m as lead agency, but involved in negotiations around a planned €20m+ move for Oh Hyeon-gyu that collapsed at medical stage.

• Clients in top-5 leagues:

  • At least three active players in top-5 European leagues in 2024/25–2025/26 (Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga).

• National team clients:

  • Minimum of four current South Korea senior internationals over the last cycle (Oh Hyeon-gyu, Jeong Woo-yeong, Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Hyun-ju).

• Renewal/extension deals:

  • Several contract extensions and option exercises for players in Germany and Belgium, though many details are not disclosed publicly.

Approach & Philosophy

Apertura presents itself as an agency that supports players and coaches “in all life situations” and looks beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch. Their focus is on precise, individual career planning backed by close, long-term communication rather than purely transactional deals.

The team combines German organisational rigour and data awareness with deep cultural understanding of Korea and Asia to de-risk transfers, especially for young talents moving abroad for the first time. Negotiations tend to be pragmatic and relationship-driven, using smart stepping-stone moves to build a player’s CV before pushing for higher-value transfers.

Fees & Transparency

• Typical commission ranges:

  • The agency does not publish a fee table; in line with common market practice, commissions are generally understood to sit in the 5–10% range of a player’s gross salary or transfer-related commissions, always within FIFA and national-association caps.

• Dual representation:

  • No explicit public policy statement. Available information suggests a player-centric representation model, with any club-side mandates handled within DFB and FIFA regulatory frameworks.

• Image rights and expenses:

  • Commercial and image-rights work is closely integrated into the 0711 group’s media and events ecosystem, and is typically structured on a case-by-case basis with transparent invoicing through Apertura Sports GmbH.

Compliance & Reputation

• Disciplinary actions / sanctions:

  • No public record of disciplinary sanctions or FIFA/DFB penalties against Apertura Sports or Johannes Graf Strachwitz as an intermediary.

• Litigation / disputes:

  • No major legal disputes involving Apertura Sports have been reported. The most visible controversy around clients relates to club-to-club disagreements (such as the failed Oh Hyeon-gyu move from Genk to Stuttgart) rather than agent behaviour.

• Media sentiment:

  • Overall neutral-to-positive. Media tend to highlight the agency’s role in building the Korea–Bundesliga pathway and Strachwitz’s creative background, with coverage around the failed Stuttgart transfer focusing mainly on club decisions.

Awards / Recognition

• No major public industry awards are listed for Apertura Sports.

• The agency is frequently cited in German and Korean coverage of Korean players in Europe and in profiles of the 0711 group, reflecting recognition as an early and influential bridge between Asian talent and European clubs.