Wagner had the privilege of being close to leading figures in his profession, such as Juan Figger and Mino Raiola, and had direct access to several of the biggest clubs on the planet.
Today, Wagner is still active, working with some of Brazilian football's most promising prospects.
In this exclusive interview with Flashscore, Wagner Ribeiro recalls memorable episodes from his career and doesn't shy away from giving his opinion on Robinho's rape accusation, as well as protecting the ever-attacked Neymar.
How did you get into the football agent business?
I've always loved football. In 1997, my brother-in-law invited me to work with him at XV de Jau. He was running for mayor of the city. That's where Franca came in, when I took part in his negotiations with Sao Paulo and also his move to Bayer Leverkusen. Things worked out, I liked the business and that was the gateway. Then others came along, like Kaka. I represented a total of 14 players in the Sao Paulo professional team.
Is the image of the businessman today different from 20 or 30 years ago?
In the past, there were fewer managers. Juan Figger was a pioneer, then came other important names like Gilmar Veloz and Gilmar Rinaldi. There was an impression in Brazil that the businessman was an exploiter and mercenary, while in Europe the thinking was different. It was only after a while that things became transparent and the importance of the manager in helping club and player was realised. When a player goes to a meeting without a manager, it's bad for him. The manager is a professional who thinks about money because he is part of the business.
How do you operate in the current player market?
Today I work with a lot of youth players between the ages of 12 and 16, that's where the future of football lies. Clubs need to sell their players, but they also expect a technical return. Without a manager, this financial return is unlikely to happen. The manager who sells is better regarded.
What was your relationship like with Neymar when you were still at Santos?
We never had anything signed, it was always on the basis of conversation. Before he went to Barcelona, I got into a fight because I wanted him to go to Real Madrid, who paid more. But players like Messi, Pique and Suarez persuaded him to sign for Barcelona. I had a good relationship with Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's president, and I told him that I would take Neymar there. I created a problem for myself.
When he went to Barcelona, I travelled with his family. When I got there, I was sidelined at the presentation because the Barcelona press didn't like me. In my view, Real Madrid had a better structure, it was a team that suited him better and could make him the best in the world.
He opted for Barcelona and won everything there. The deal for PSG began with me introducing Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club's owner, to Neymar's father. The first offer from PSG was covered by Barcelona, only after the transfer was confirmed.
What about Endrick, who accepts a new challenge but ends up not being given the right opportunities?
He's more important to Real Madrid today than ever before. He's only 18 years old, he's got national team football and he's ready to be a starter for Real. He's already adapted, but playing at the Santiago Bernabeu isn't easy. In every game, there are 70,000 fans in attendance, and the fans are demanding. I believe that, in another year, he'll be a starter at Real.
Are today's players too spoilt?
Money can really mess with anyone's head. If a player comes from a humbler family, he gets a lot of harassment once he's rich. You have to have a good head on your shoulders to manage all that power. I've dealt with some great players, and few can keep the same head before and after these transformative transactions.
I remember telling Lucas Moura to keep the marvellous head he had when he went to PSG. Even the fans of other teams admire him, something that isn't very common. Kaka was also a player with a different mindset. Everyone has their own personality.
Neymar, for example, sees the press pick on him for everything. He's not married, he honours his children and doesn't do anything wrong with his life. He makes the most of what he has by playing poker, hanging out with friends on the beach and having to deal with harassment and fame. The life of a famous player isn't easy.
How difficult is it for a manager to try and persuade a player not to go to a club the size of Real Madrid by pointing out another option where he can have more minutes?
When a player goes to Real Madrid and ends up leaving the club, he leaves with the weight of having gone through a designer label. Nobody leaves depressed or poor. The problem is dealing with the demands of being at a club like Real Madrid, where you want a technical return straight away. It doesn't work like that in football.
Robinho's time at Real wasn't good, Kaka faced strong competition from Rivaldo and other players when he arrived at Milan. He was an option on the bench and gradually gained ground. He was supposed to go to Real Madrid, but he didn't because the Spanish team's idea was to sign him and loan him out. With the sequence of games at Milan, he became the best in the world.
Do you try to help your players with their finances?
No, I show the player the football side of things. I don't like to suggest investments or give them ideas of what to do with their money. Neymar likes to invest in property, some people invest in the stock market, others prefer cryptocurrencies. I don't get involved in a player's financial life.
Have any players given you the most trouble, needing to have their behaviour corrected or anything like that?
The ones who give me the most trouble are athletes' fathers who think their sons are geniuses. Go and talk to the boy's father... He thinks his son is a star and needs to be a starter, he doesn't accept that the coach has another option.
He ends up thinking that the coach has a personal problem, that there's a black bag and he goes after the manager, as if we could do something about it. There are times when parents get in the way more than they help.
At Sao Paulo, I experienced this during the Kaka era. A team-mate's father thought his son was better and that I paid more attention to Kaka. His son was still starting out and there was a lot of jealousy involved.
Do you have any role models in this world of businessmen?
Juan Figger was very intelligent, his doors were open everywhere. He helped take the Brazilian national team to Europe, he had offices in São Paulo and Montevideo. He was a visionary.
What is the biggest fault of today's agents?
I don't like to talk about my colleagues, everyone has their own maturity and difficulties. I put my relatives first, others don't. Why take mums and dads out of negotiations?
What about the constant debts of Brazilian clubs?
Bets are pouring into football and all clubs have debts. Contracts that used to be between 10 and 15 million are now 120 million. The income from one game is over 4 or 5 million. The justification that there is no money to pay debts is absurd.