Argentum Sport
Balkan Pathways Specialist

Croatia

€24mm

Key Facts

Founded: Not publicly disclosed
Headquarters: Croatia (registered and operating out of Croatia)
Players: 35+ (1st tier: 25) – Total market value: approx. €24mm
FIFA/FA registration: FIFA Football Agent – Ives Cakarun (Croatian FA jurisdiction, licence number not publicly disclosed)
Languages: Croatian, Bosnian/Serbian, English, Greek
Regions covered: Balkans, Greece, Central & Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Cyprus & Middle East
Email: contact@argentumsport.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/argentum_sport/

About

Argentum Sport is a Croatia–based boutique football agency focused on players in the Balkans, Greece and wider Central & Eastern Europe, with growing reach into Scandinavia and Cyprus. The agency positions itself as a “hands-on” career management partner, working with both established professionals and promising U23 players in top domestic leagues and stepping-stone competitions.

With a verified, licensed presence on major football data platforms and a roster spread across Croatia’s SuperSport HNL, the Greek Super League, Bundesliga, Ekstraklasa, Allsvenskan and regional leagues, Argentum specialises in carefully sequenced moves that turn regional standouts into reliable top-flight performers.

Key People

• CEO/Founder:

  • Ives Cakarun – Founder and CEO of Argentum Sport, widely referenced as a leading Croatian football agent; operates Argentum Sport d.o.o. and is listed as a FIFA-licensed player agent.

• Managing Director / Head of Football:

  • Not publicly titled as such – day-to-day football operations appear to be led collectively by the CEO, Head of Legal and scouting leadership, based on publicly available profiles.

• Licensed agents:

  • Ives Cakarun – FIFA Football Agent (Croatian FA jurisdiction; licence number not publicly disclosed).

  • Alen Šomić – FIFA-licensed agent and Head of Legal at Argentum Sport Football Agency, specialising in contract drafting and regulatory matters.

  • Lukas Rošić – Licensed scout/agent, listed as Head of Scouting at Argentum Sport.

  • Georgios Goumagias – Licensed agent associated with Argentum Sport, covering Greek market scouting and representation.

Client Roster

Note: public databases list 37 clients for Argentum Sport; below is a verified subset of current key players and rising talents where club and date of birth can be reliably sourced from public data.

Top players (current):

• Lazar Jovanovic (VfB Stuttgart) – 30 November 2006

• Petar Ratkov (Red Bull Salzburg) – 18 August 2003

• Filip Benkovic (AIK) – 13 July 1997

• Ville Koski (NK Istra 1961) – 27 January 2002

• Samir Memisevic (Free agent, last Al-Nasr FC) – 13 August 1993

• Mladen Devetak (HNK Rijeka) – 12 March 1999

• Isnik Alimi (Dalian Yingbo) – 2 February 1994

• Damir Redzic (DAC Dunajska Streda) – 23 March 2003

• Eldar Civic (Baltika Kaliningrad) – 28 May 1996

• Georgios Athanasiadis (Aris Thessaloniki) – 7 April 1993

• Borna Barisic (Free agent, last Trabzonspor / Leganes loan) – 10 November 1992

• Ivan Brkic (Motor Lublin) – 29 June 1995

• Dino Besirovic (AIK) – 31 January 1994

• Miljan Krpic (ETO FC Győr) – 3 July 2003

• Mateo Karamatic (Al-Nasr SC, UAE) – 28 September 2001

• Blaz Boskovic (NK Lokomotiva Zagreb) – 15 December 2001

• Bruno Bogojevic (HNK Rijeka) – 29 June 1998

• Athanasios Karamanis (Atromitos Athens) – 14 October 2003

• Ranko Jokic (Nyíregyháza Spartacus) – 22 April 1999

• Additional U23 clients include several Greek youth internationals and Balkan prospects in Croatian and Bosnian leagues, though full details are not fully accessible due to technical limits on some public databases.

Notable former clients:

• Several Argentum-represented players have previously featured in top-5 leagues (e.g. Filip Benković in the Premier League and Serie A), but there is no public evidence of high-profile agency splits; most changes in representation are not publicly documented.

Coaches/Staff represented (if any):

• No head coaches or senior technical staff are clearly and publicly listed as Argentum Sport clients; the agency appears focused almost entirely on players.

Notable Deals

• 2025 – Lazar Jovanovic – Red Star Belgrade to VfB Stuttgart – Reported fee around €5m plus bonuses, long-term deal to 2029.

• 2023 – Petar Ratkov – TSC Backa Topola to Red Bull Salzburg – Fee in the €4.4–5m range, five-year contract to 2028.

• 2025 – Filip Benkovic – Free agent to AIK – Free transfer on a two-year deal to the end of 2026.

• 2024 – Ville Koski – FC Honka to NK Istra 1961 – Undisclosed fee, multi-year contract, stepping up from Finland to Croatia’s top flight.

• 2025 – Eldar Civic – Ferencvaros to Baltika Kaliningrad – Free transfer to the Russian Premier League.

• 2023 / 2025 – Dino Besirovic – Mezőkövesd to AIK, then contract extension – Initial free transfer in 2023, followed by an extension keeping him at AIK until 2027.

• 2025 – Mateo Karamatic – TSV Hartberg to Al-Nasr SC (UAE) – Move from the Austrian Bundesliga to the UAE Pro League on a contract reportedly running to 2027.

• 2024 – Ivan Brkic – Neftçi to Motor Lublin – Approximate €150k fee and a two-year contract in Poland.

Services

• Contract negotiation (club contracts and performance-related bonuses)

• Domestic and international transfers and loans

• Career planning and pathway strategy (Balkans, Greece, Scandinavia, Central Europe)

• Basic commercial advisory – sponsorship, image use and appearance deals at club/regional level

• Legal and regulatory support (via in-house Head of Legal, Alen Šomić)

• Support with relocation logistics (housing, schooling, daily life in new country)

• Performance monitoring and data-driven scouting feedback, especially for younger players

Partner Network

• Clubs: recurring placements or links with clubs in Croatia (NK Istra 1961, HNK Rijeka, 1.FC Slovácko), Greece (Atromitos, Aris, Asteras), and Scandinavia (AIK).

• Academies & youth systems: relationships with youth setups in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany (e.g. Stuttgarter Kickers academy connections in the case of Marko Pilic).

• Scouts: in-house scouting network headed by Lukas Rošić, with on-the-ground contacts in Croatia and neighbouring markets.

• Legal & compliance partners: in-house legal expertise via Alen Šomić, supplemented by local legal and tax professionals as needed.

• Marketing/communications: largely handled in-house; no large third-party PR or marketing agency partnerships are publicly referenced.

Track Record (last 3 seasons)

• Total transfers completed:

  • Estimated 15–20 completed transfers and significant loans involving Argentum clients across 2023–2025.

• Deals ≥ €10m:

  • 0 confirmed – biggest reported deals are in the €4–6m range.

• Clients in top-5 leagues:

  • 1 current client in a top-5 European league (Bundesliga), plus others with recent top-5 experience.

• National team clients:

  • At least 5 senior internationals (Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Hungary, Finland) plus multiple youth internationals.

• Renewal/extension deals:

  • 3+ contract renewals inferred over the last three seasons, including a documented extension for Dino Besirovic at AIK to 2027.

Approach & Philosophy

Argentum Sport’s portfolio suggests a “smart stepping stone” philosophy. Rather than trying to leap clients straight into top-five leagues, the agency emphasises building a solid track record in strong but accessible competitions – Croatian SuperSport HNL, Greek Super League, Ekstraklasa and Allsvenskan – where regular minutes and European qualifiers are realistic. Moves like Benković to AIK, Athanasiadis to Aris and Koski to Istra reflect this approach.

Scouting appears heavily data- and pathway-driven: the agency targets undervalued talent in Balkan and Greek academies, plus Scandinavia, with an eye on resale potential and national-team visibility. The presence of a Head of Legal in-house underlines a structured stance on contracts and regulatory compliance, while the relatively low-publicity nature of the agency suggests a preference for quiet, relationship-based negotiation rather than media-driven brinkmanship.

Fees & Transparency

Argentum Sport does not publicly disclose its commission structure or detailed fee schedule. In practice, as a FIFA-licensed operation working largely in European jurisdictions, it is expected to work within the typical industry ranges shaped by FIFA’s and national FA regulations – historically in the 3–10 % region of a player’s gross salary or transfer-related payments, depending on contract type and jurisdiction.

Compliance & Reputation

• Disciplinary actions / sanctions:

  • No publicly reported disciplinary actions, bans or major sanctions against Argentum Sport or its key agents in FIFA, UEFA or Croatian FA disciplinary records and mainstream reporting, as of late 2025.

• Litigation / disputes:

  • No significant public litigation or contract-dispute cases involving Argentum Sport have surfaced in mainstream or specialist football media. Minor commercial disputes, if any, appear to have been handled privately.

• Media sentiment:

  • Media sentiment: generally positive/neutral.

    • Coverage that does exist tends to describe Argentum as a “leading” or “growing” Balkan agency, particularly via interviews and client references that highlight its Croatian base and personalised service. There is little tabloid-style controversy or negative investigative reporting tied to the firm.

Awards/recognition

• No major international awards (e.g. Globe Soccer, national agent of the year) are publicly associated with Argentum Sport as of 2025.

• Regionally, the agency is often grouped among notable Croatian and Balkan agencies in directories and football-business analyses, reflecting growing recognition rather than formal trophies.

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