Daniel Delonga
Bundesliga Blue-Chip Portfolio

Germany

€1bn+

Key Facts

Nationality/residence: German – primarily based in Nuremberg, with ROOF HQ in Grünwald (Munich area), Germany.

Also known as: Frequently described in German media as “Spielerrat-Gründer” (founder of Spielerrat).

Date of birth: September 1976 (month and year publicly available; exact day not disclosed).

FIFA Agent Licence: FIFA Football Agent – registered intermediary with DFB for ROOF GmbH in the 2023–24 lists, previously registered for Spielerrat GmbH under the old intermediary rules since at least 2018.

Other registrations:

• DFB intermediary – listed for Spielerrat GmbH (2018–20) and ROOF GmbH (2023–24).

• Director of a UK holding company linked to ROOF, with correspondence address at ROOF GmbH, Bavariafilmplatz 7, 82031 Grünwald.

Primary agency / company: ROOF – Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers (Managing Partner / Executive Director).

Job Title: Football Intermediary / Player Agent / Managing Partner

Client capacity: Boutique portfolio within ROOF – roughly 40+ named clients, with total listed value around €1bn+

Languages: German (native), English (working language).

Base Locations: Nuremberg and Grünwald/Munich, Germany.

Specialisms: Elite Bundesliga and Premier League transfers; German-speaking internationals; creative and attacking profiles; long-term brand partnerships and commercial strategy.

Email:

• info@roof.football (ROOF central contact)

• daniel.delonga@spielerrat.de (legacy but still-listed professional address)

Phone / WhatsApp (office): +49 (0)89 820 400 30 – ROOF main office number in Grünwald.

Website / Socials:

• Website (agency): https://roof.football

• LinkedIn (Daniel): https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-delonga-8b711b86/

• LinkedIn (ROOF): https://www.linkedin.com/company/roof-football/

• X (Daniel): https://x.com/DanielDelonga

• Instagram (agency): https://www.instagram.com/roof.football/

• X (agency): https://x.com/ROOFfootball

• Facebook (agency): https://www.facebook.com/roof.football

About Daniel Delonga

Daniel Delonga is a German football agent and Managing Partner at ROOF – Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers – where he helps oversee one of Europe’s most valuable player portfolios. Before entering agency work he spent nearly a decade at adidas in Herzogenaurach, progressing from junior category manager to global sports marketing roles working directly with professional footballers and Bundesliga clubs, which gave him a detailed understanding of sponsorship, brand positioning and player marketing.

In 2013, after his adidas spell, Delonga co-founded the boutique advisory firm Spielerrat with Thorsten Wirth and Hannes Winzer, explicitly positioning it as a quality-over-quantity agency. Within a few years Spielerrat’s roster included German national-team stars Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry, with Delonga acting as founder and Geschäftsführer (CEO) and publicly explaining the agency’s “handshake over long contracts” culture in long-form interviews and podcasts.

Spielerrat later merged with rival boutique Arena11 under Swiss investor Invision, with the combined operation rebranding as ROOF in 2021. ROOF is now headquartered in Grünwald near Munich and operates additional offices in London and Madrid, and in 2024 sold a controlling stake to United Talent Agency and Klutch Sports, integrating Delonga and his colleagues into a global sports-and-entertainment platform.

As an individual agent, Delonga is closely associated with some of ROOF’s most high-profile footballers. Public databases list him with a portfolio that includes Kai Havertz, Mohammed Kudus, Karim Adeyemi, Virgil van Dijk, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Konrad Laimer, Harvey Elliott, Mason Mount, Marc-André ter Stegen, Tammy Abraham and many other Bundesliga and Premier League talents. He also acts as “Sports” advisor on the Kai Havertz Foundation’s advisory board, highlighting his role in strategic career guidance and charitable projects beyond transfers.

Official intermediary reports show Delonga as a key intermediary in Kai Havertz’s 2020 record move from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea, one of the biggest outgoing deals in Bundesliga history. He has also represented midfielder Amadou Diawara following the Guinean’s switch of agent in 2022, and has been named by Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić as one of the ROOF executives Bayern sat down with for Serge Gnabry’s contract talks, underlining his standing in elite negotiations.

In interviews, Delonga consistently stresses careful partner selection and long-term alignment between athlete and brand, arguing that the number of partnerships must be “carefully considered” and that strategic fit and time commitments are crucial filters. He was also an early supporter of Common Goal’s 1% pledge, with Spielerrat becoming one of the first agencies to donate a portion of revenues to social causes – a commitment he has carried into the ROOF era.

Despite operating in a high-profile space, Delonga keeps a relatively low media profile, preferring in-depth podcasts, specialist interviews and closed-door lectures, such as a 2025 talk in Vaterstetten marketed as a chance to hear from “one of Germany’s top player agents”, rather than continuous social-media commentary.

Highlights

• Negotiation style – Detail-obsessed, numbers-driven and calm, emphasising long-term relationships, strategic fit and mutual benefit rather than short-term maximisation.

• Network – Deep links into Bundesliga and Premier League boardrooms (Leverkusen, Bayern, Dortmund, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and more) via marquee clients and long-standing club relationships.

• Compliance focus – Long-time DFB-registered intermediary, now operating under the new FIFA Football Agent regime with ROOF’s internal compliance and UTA’s corporate governance.

• Languages – Works seamlessly in German and English, backed by years in adidas’ international marketing structure and a multinational client base.

• Player-marketing expertise – Strong track record in brand partnerships and testimonial strategy for Havertz, Gnabry and other A-list players, including cautious partner selection and long-term positioning.

Career Snapshot

Origin story:
Ex-adidas sports marketing and category manager who shifted from the brand side into agency work, co-founding Spielerrat in 2013 and later becoming Managing Partner at ROOF after the merger with Arena11.

Milestones:

• 2004–2013 – Rises through adidas roles from junior category manager to Player Manager Football and then Group Sportsmarketing Manager Football Players & DFL, working directly with professional players and leagues.

• 2013 – Co-founds Spielerrat GmbH with Thorsten Wirth and Hannes Winzer, establishing a boutique advisory model with a focus on a small, elite client base.

• 2013–2019 – Builds a top-tier roster including Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz; German trade media highlight Spielerrat as the agency behind “two of the best German players of the moment.”

• 2020 – Acts as intermediary for Kai Havertz’s move from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea, listed in official DFB documentation and widely reported as one of the biggest transfers in Bundesliga history.

• 2021 – Spielerrat and Arena11 formally merge under Invision; ROOF is created, with Delonga named among the managing directors and executive leadership.

• 2022 – Becomes new agent for Amadou Diawara, as confirmed by multiple European outlets, while Bundesliga clubs show renewed interest in the midfielder.

• 2022 – Publicly involved in talks with Bayern over Serge Gnabry’s extension, in discussions that also opened the door to signing Sadio Mané from Liverpool.

• 2024 – ROOF is acquired by United Talent Agency/Klutch; as Managing Partner, Delonga becomes part of a wider global sports-and-entertainment network.

Network strengths:

• Clubs – Strong working relationships across Bundesliga (Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern, Dortmund, RB Leipzig) and Premier League (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham, Crystal Palace), plus La Liga and Serie A via clients such as ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Rubén Vargas and Ademola Lookman.

• Academies – Long-standing ties to German development systems such as Leverkusen and Bayern, as well as English academies through clients like Harvey Elliott, Angel Gomes and John Mellberg.

• Regions – Core focus on Germany, England, Spain and Italy, with players also in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other markets through clients like Sadio Mané, Dejan Lovren and Oliver Torres.

Support Team / Partners

• ROOF managing partners – Works closely with fellow executives Björn Bezemer, Thorsten Wirth, Nabile Hakimi, Hannes Winzer, Steffen Asal and others on strategy and major deals.

• UTA / Klutch Sports – Gains additional commercial, media and U.S. market support through UTA’s acquisition of ROOF, including access to Klutch’s endorsement and content infrastructure.

• Legal & tax counsel – External firms support ROOF’s corporate transactions, while specialist sports lawyers advise on individual player deals.

• Brand and data partners – Draws on insights from organisations like Nielsen Sports and sponsor networks from his adidas background to optimise endorsement and brand-fit decisions.

• Social impact partners – Collaborates with Common Goal and charitable structures like the Kai Havertz Foundation, where he sits on the advisory board.

Client Roster

Top players and talents (current):

• Kai Havertz (Arsenal FC) – Attacking midfielder / forward – Germany – 11/06/1999

• Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur) – Attacking midfielder / winger – Ghana – 02/08/2000

• Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund) – Winger / forward – Germany – 18/01/2002

• Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC) – Centre-back – Netherlands – 08/07/1991

• Mason Mount (Manchester United) – Attacking midfielder – England – 10/01/1999

• Harvey Elliott (Aston Villa, on loan from Liverpool) – Attacking midfielder / winger – England – 04/04/2003

• Serge Gnabry (FC Bayern München) – Winger – Germany – 14/07/1995

• Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern München) – Central midfielder – Germany – 06/02/1995

• Konrad Laimer (FC Bayern München) – Central / defensive midfielder – Austria – 27/05/1997

• Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona) – Goalkeeper – Germany – 30/04/1992

• Andreas Christensen (FC Barcelona) – Centre-back – Denmark – 10/04/1996

• Tammy Abraham (Beşiktaş JK) – Centre-forward – England – 02/10/1997

• Niclas Füllkrug (West Ham United) – Centre-forward – Germany – 09/02/1993

• David Raum (RB Leipzig) – Left-back / wing-back – Germany – 22/04/1998

• Angel Gomes (Olympique Marseille) – Attacking / central midfielder – England/Portugal – 31/08/2000

• Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) – Attacking midfielder / forward – USA/Germany – 28/05/2002

• Caoimhín Kelleher (Brentford FC) – Goalkeeper – Ireland – 23/11/1998

• Ademola Lookman (Atalanta BC) – Winger / second striker – Nigeria/England – 20/10/1997

• Giovanni Reyna (Nottingham Forest / loan – parent club Borussia Dortmund) – Attacking midfielder – USA – 13/11/2002

• Jordan Henderson (Brentford FC) – Central midfielder – England – 17/06/1990

• Sadio Mané (Al Nassr FC) – Winger / forward – Senegal – 10/04/1992

• Naby Keïta (Werder Bremen) – Central midfielder – Guinea – 10/02/1995

• Philip Billing (AFC Bournemouth) – Central midfielder – Denmark – 11/06/1996

• Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace) – Left-back – England – 01/09/1999

• Stefan Bajcetic (Liverpool FC) – Defensive midfielder – Spain/Serbia – 22/10/2004

• John Mellberg (Red Bull Salzburg) – Centre-back – Sweden – 30/07/2006

• Rubén Vargas (Sevilla FC) – Winger – Switzerland – 05/08/1998

• Josh Wilson-Esbrand (RKS Radomiak Radom) – Left-back – England – 26/12/2002

• Joakim Nilsson (free agent) – Centre-back – Sweden – 06/02/1994

• Amadou Diawara (Europe) – Defensive midfielder – Guinea – 17/07/1997

Coaches/Staff represented

• Per Mertesacker (Arsenal FC) – Head of Academy – former Germany international and long-term ROOF client, still advised on strategic and post-career matters by the agency, including Delonga.

Notable former clients

• Selected players from the early Spielerrat era who later moved to other agencies. Individual exits are typically handled quietly and without public conflict, in line with Delonga’s relationship-driven approach.

Notable Deals Led by Daniel Delonga

• 2020 – Kai Havertz: Bayer Leverkusen → Chelsea, approx. €80m plus add-ons, long-term deal. Official documents list Delonga as intermediary for Leverkusen in what remains one of the biggest outgoing transfers in Bundesliga history.

• 2023 – Kai Havertz: Chelsea → Arsenal, reported £65m, long-term contract to 2028. ROOF, with Delonga as long-time lead agent, managed a complex three-club negotiation and a tactical repositioning plan for Havertz at Arsenal.

• 2022 – Serge Gnabry: Bayern München contract extension. Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić has spoken about detailed meetings with Delonga and fellow ROOF executive Björn Bezemer to secure Gnabry’s extension while balancing Bayern’s wage structure.

• 2022 – Sadio Mané: Liverpool → Bayern München. The Mané deal grew out of the same ROOF–Bayern talks around Gnabry; Delonga was part of the ROOF leadership directly engaged in those conversations, helping to structure one of that summer’s flagship transfers.

• 2022 – Amadou Diawara: agent switch and re-entry to the market. Diawara’s decision to appoint Delonga as his new agent was widely reported, with his camp and ROOF exploring Bundesliga options and other European destinations.

• 2013–2019 – Brand deals and marketing partnerships for Havertz, Gnabry and other Spielerrat clients, where Delonga was heavily involved in partner selection, contract design and long-term brand positioning.

Track Record (last 3 seasons)

• Total transfers completed: Directly or indirectly involved in dozens of transfers and renewals since summer 2022, including headline moves and top-five-league contract work.

• Deals ≥ €10m: At least 8–10 major transactions, including Havertz’s Arsenal move, Mané’s transfer to Bayern and then Al Nassr, plus several big renewals in Bundesliga and Premier League clubs.

• Clients in top-5 leagues: Roughly 30–35 active players in the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 within his portfolio.

• National team clients: Multiple current or recent internationals for Germany, Netherlands, Senegal, Ghana, Denmark, Switzerland, Guinea and others.

• Renewal/extension deals: Regular involvement in multi-year renewals at Bayern, Liverpool, Barcelona and other top clubs, often combining performance bonuses, image-rights packages and long-term security.

• Aggregate client market value: Approx. €1bn+ as of late 2025, based on widely used public valuation sources.

Compliance & Accreditation

• FIFA Football Agent operating via ROOF GmbH under the new licensing regime.

• Long-standing DFB intermediary, listed in multiple seasons for both Spielerrat and ROOF.

• Embedded in ROOF’s internal compliance framework, which includes external legal and tax advisers and UTA/Klutch-level governance standards.

• Publicly supportive of greater transparency around contracts and fees, and of social-impact initiatives such as Common Goal.

Testimonials

• Jan Cremer (ARD communications/social media) has publicly praised Delonga as a “loyal, straight and integral guy” and described one of his podcast appearances as “a really honest insider insight” into the agent business.

• In a Nielsen Sports interview, Delonga emphasised that the number of commercial partnerships for a player “must be carefully considered,” underlining his focus on strategic, long-term brand fit.

• SPONSORs/SPOBIS have introduced him as the founder-CEO behind an agency that managed two of Germany’s best players of their generation in Havertz and Gnabry, elevating him into the top bracket of German agents.

• Local organisers in Vaterstetten have promoted him as “one of Germany’s top player agents” when inviting him to speak about the realities of modern player representation.

Press, Awards & Recognition

• 2019 – SPONSORs/SPOBIS podcast “Spielerrat-Gründer Daniel Delonga – Einblick in das Business der Spielerberater,” a flagship episode dissecting his agency model and the evolution of the player-agent market.

• 2019 – Nielsen Sports feature on athlete marketing and brand partnerships, presenting Delonga as founder and managing director of Spielerrat and outlining his approach to endorsement strategy.

• 2021 – German business and legal press coverage of the Spielerrat–Arena11 merger into ROOF, naming Delonga among the key shareholders and managing directors of the newly formed agency.

• 2022 – Regular mentions in transfer coverage around Bayern’s interest in Havertz, Gnabry’s extension and Sadio Mané’s transfer to Bayern, positioning him as one of the main interlocutors between ROOF and elite clubs.

• 2022 – Articles on Amadou Diawara’s agent change, with Delonga named as his new representative and linked with strategic Bundesliga moves.

• 2024–2025 – ROOF profiled by specialist outlets and business media as one of Europe’s largest football agencies by squad value, with Delonga listed among its managing directors and licensed agents.

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