The agency which represents Chelsea’s Alejandro Garnacho has been ordered to pay more than €200,000 to the man who is credited with discovering the winger.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ordered Leader Sports Management UK Ltd. – owned by former Celta Vigo player and current agent Enrique de Lucas Martinez – which currently represents Garnacho to pay more than €200,000 (£173,240; $238,670) to Ruben Pascual over a breach of contract.
Garnacho, 21, came through Atletico Madrid’s academy from 2015 and joined Manchester United in 2020.
It was when he joined United in 2020 that a dispute arose between the agents over the breach of a collaboration contract for Garnacho’s representation, as outlined in the official document detailing CAS’s ruling – which has been seen by The Athletic. The breach of contract relates to unmade payments from Leader Sports to Pascual.
According to the document, the judge has ordered Leader Sports to pay €142,907.74 (£123,788.83; $170,538.24) to Pascual’s company, Melkart Consultoria y Gestion, as well as an annual interest of 12.5 per cent, from April 30, 2023 until the payment is complete.
In addition, CAS ordered Leader Sports to pay 80 per cent of the arbitration costs and 3,000 Swiss francs (£2,830; $3,890) to Melkart in legal fees. The total amount is more than €200,000 – although the final figure will depend on when the defendants have paid off the full amount.
CAS found that the collaboration agreement between Leader Sports and Melkart – signed on November 6, 2020 – outlined a “crystal clear” arrangement between the agencies.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
The agreement set out that Pascual’s agency was entitled to 50 per cent of any profits accrued by Leader Sports while representing Garnacho between August 2020 and 2022; 15 per cent from 2022 and 2024; and 5 per cent from 2024 and 2026.
The court also found that Leader Sports relied on Pascaul’s “advice, knowledge and exclusive access” to Garnacho in order to finalise the deal between Atletico and United in August 2020.
According to the CAS document, Enrique de Lucas only made two transfers to Pascaul, however: €4,615.27 (£3,997.82; $5,507.61) on September 22, 2022; and €2,476.99 (£2,145.61; $2,955.90) on December 1, 2022.
Leader Sports claimed it paid 50 per cent of the income as stipulated in the contract with the payments in July and September 2022. However, Leader Sports argued the collaborative contract expired in August 2022 when Garnacho got new representation — a company called Leaders in the Field. While Leaders in the Field is a different company to Leader Sports, it is made up of the same representatives; Enrique de Lucas posted a picture on Instagram alongside Garnacho when the winger signed a contract extension at United in April 2023. The judge dismissed Leader Sports’ arguments.
Pascual had previously been a scout for Real Madrid’s academy and followed Garnacho in the youth teams of clubs in the community of Madrid such as Arroyomolinos, Getafe and Atletico. He has maintained a relationship with Garnacho and his family since the forward was seven years old.
Pascual was represented in court by Inigo de Lacalle and Javier Ferrero, from the sports law firm Senn Ferrero.
Leader Sports also represents other players including Manchester United’s Amad Diallo. However, at the time they signed Garnacho, they did not have any other notable players in the Premier League.
Leader Sports has the right to appeal the ruling to the Swiss Federal Court.
Garnacho established himself in the first team at Old Trafford between 2022 and 2025, before joining Chelsea for £40million ($54 million) in August last year.
He has made 107 Premier League appearances for United and Chelsea and has represented the Argentina national team eight times.
