RUI PINTO: THE HACKER BEHIND FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST LEAKS

Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto became internationally known after creating Football Leaks, a platform that published confidential documents involving football clubs, players and agents.

Pinto launched Football Leaks in 2015, initially focusing on Portuguese clubs before the leaks expanded to major football figures, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

His biggest impact came after he shared tens of millions of documents with journalists at Germany’s Der Spiegel and other members of the European Investigative Collaborations. The material, which exceeded three terabytes, was examined and cross-checked before being used in a series of investigative reports.

Some of the leaked documents involved Manchester City, including internal emails concerning sponsorship agreements and payments. The material later became part of the background to the Premier League’s financial case against the club, which Manchester City has denied and is expected to appeal.

Pinto’s actions have sparked a long-running debate over whether he should be viewed primarily as a criminal hacker or a whistleblower who exposed wrongdoing in football.

His former teacher, Mario Falcao, remembered him as a sociable but relatively ordinary student who was particularly talented with computers. Pinto grew up in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Porto, and supported FC Porto.

Football journalist Antonio Varela was among the first journalists Pinto contacted when Football Leaks emerged. Varela said the information raised ethical questions because it had been obtained illegally, but argued that its publication could still serve the public interest.

Pinto was arrested in Hungary in 2019 and extradited to Portugal. He later faced several legal proceedings. In 2023, he received a four-year suspended sentence after being convicted of attempted extortion, illegal access to data and breach of correspondence. A separate case in France resulted in a six-month suspended prison sentence.

He subsequently entered witness protection and has continued to be involved in proceedings connected to information he provided.

Supporters of Pinto, including former Portuguese politician Ana Gomes, have described him as an important whistleblower whose disclosures helped authorities investigate football-related wrongdoing.

Others, including lawyers representing affected clubs, have maintained that the way he obtained the information made him a criminal hacker.

His lawyer, Francisco Teixeira da Mota, has acknowledged that Pinto is “not a hero and not a saint” but argued that his actions produced benefits for society.

The Manchester City case has added another major chapter to Pinto's story. While the debate over his methods continues, Football Leaks fundamentally changed how confidential information about the business of European football reached the public.

From a young computer enthusiast in Portugal to a central figure in international football investigations, Rui Pinto's story remains one of the most controversial chapters in modern football.