How Gianni Infantino became football's unlikely conqueror

Gianni Infantino's ascent from UEFA's legal affairs department to football's de facto ruler has reshaped the sport's power dynamics. The profile traces his 2016 arrival as a bright new hope and his rapid evolution into FIFA's central figure, travelling extensively—first on EasyJet and later by a private jet loaned from Qatar—with trips spanning Miami, New York, the Middle East and Europe in a single week. Colleagues note a punishing timetable and a World Cup cycle anchored to high-profile political ties, notably a controversial friendship with Donald Trump.