The man who discovered Mbappe alongside Marinakis . The new “brain” of his football club
The Marinakis Group has secured Geoffrey Moncada as its new Technical Secretary, following his stints at AS Monaco and AC Milan.
In modern football, big moves are not only made within the four lines of the pitch. Many times they are born away from
the spotlight, where market knowledge, data, instinct and a well-organized information network can prove to be just as valuable as a great football player. The agreement between
Vangelis Marinakis and
Geoffrey Moncada moves in exactly this
direction.
The 40-year-old Frenchman, with an important career in Monaco and Milan, is coming to acquire a broader, executive role in the football network of the Greek businessman, which includes Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest and Rio Ave. His presence already in “G. Karaiskakis”, in the match between the “reds” and Nijmegen, was more of a starting point than a simple visit.
Marinakis was looking for an executive who could see the football structure as a whole. To connect markets, people and information, to evaluate football players and create bridges between different championships. And above all, to add expertise to a field where every wrong transfer decision can now cost millions.
Moncada’s case is not just a coincidence. He started almost quietly as a video analyst and very early on acquired the reputation of a person with a special eye. At the age of just 12, he spotted a child in Bondy who would later conquer the football world: Kylian Mbappe.
At Monaco, he became
Chief Scout, helping to create the mechanism associated with the impressive team of the 2016-17 season. Milan followed, initially as head of scouting and later as technical director, with cases such as those of
Mike Maignan and Pierre Kaloulou
being characteristic examples of his work.
His philosophy is based on detail. Data is an important weapon, but never the only one. Character, family background, psychology and medical history complete the portrait of each potential transfer target.
At Olympiacos, however, he does not come to tear down everything that exists. Darko Kovacevic maintains his central role, along with Christos Akka, Antonio Miguel Cardoso, the scouting department and the coach.
Moncada (born at 18 June 1986) adds something different: another international look above the existing edifice.
Because this particular agreement is not just about Olympiacos' next transfer. It concerns a much bigger stake:
the creation of a football network that will be able to identify today those that the whole of Europe will be looking for tomorrow.

Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Arthens (Greece).












