Episode Summary
Hosts
Graham Dunn, Jamie Rooney, Stuart Burgess, Andrew Walker
Andrew Walker, Stuart Burgess
Guest(s)
Release Date
12 September 2024
Duration
57 min
In this extra-special episode of By Far The Greatest Team, hosts Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined by regulars Stuart Burgess and Andrew Walker for a unique football experiment — the creation of Barbarians 2024, a dream team built entirely from players whose nations failed to qualify for UEFA EURO 2024 or players left behind from nations that did.
The panel take on the roles of selectors, tacticians, and kit designers as they piece together a side capable of rivaling Europe’s elite. From goalkeeping conundrums to midfield creativity and forward firepower, every position sparks passionate debate. Could Dejan Kulusevski and Timo Werner lead the line? Who marshals the defence? And which maverick manager could unite this patchwork of talent — perhaps Marcelo Bielsa, the ultimate football philosopher?
Beyond player choices, the episode explores the wider idea of an international Barbarians team: should UEFA or FIFA introduce all-star sides for non-qualified nations? Would it revitalise international football or dilute its traditions?
Lively, inventive, and full of football geekery, Barbarians 2024 is both a what-if fantasy and a serious conversation about the future of the global game.
Takeaways
The concept of a EURO 2024 Barbarians XI
Debates over goalkeeper, defensive, midfield, and striker selections
Why Bielsa is the dream coach for the outsiders
Kit design: black shirts with nation-coloured socks
How the Barbarians idea could work in future UEFA/FIFA tournaments
Barbarians 2024: Building Football’s Ultimate Outsider XI
What if the stars who missed EURO 2024 got their own tournament? That’s the question By Far The Greatest Team asks in this one-off special — a creative and chaotic football experiment that imagines the Barbarians 2024, a squad built from Europe’s elite players whose nations failed to qualify.
Joined by Stuart Burgess and Andrew Walker, hosts Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney take listeners through every stage of team building: debating goalkeepers, captains, tactical shape, and even anthem selection.
Could Haaland’s goals, Ødegaard’s craft, and Grealish's genius coexist under one roof? Who wears the armband? And which maverick manager has the charisma to lead such a team of individuals — Bielsa, or someone even wilder?
The episode balances humour with genuine tactical insight, questioning whether UEFA or FIFA should ever stage a Barbarians-style showcase for fans worldwide. The result is part football fantasy, part social experiment — and entirely By Far The Greatest Team.
Main Topics
Iconic Moments
Building the Euro Barbarians 2024 from non-qualifying nations
Manager selection and tactical identity
Key debates: goalkeepers, captaincy, and front-line choices
The hypothetical Barbarians kit and anthem
Should UEFA or FIFA make this real?
The reveal of the final Barbarians XI
Heated striker debate: Haaland vs Werner vs Isak
Bielsa named as honorary coach
The creation of the team’s anthem and kit concept
“What if UEFA actually did this?” round-table finale
Notable Manager
Marcelo Bielsa
Notable Players
Lukáš Hrádecký, Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland, Dejan Kulusevski, Timo Werner, Alexander Isak, David Alaba, Mats Hummels, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, Sander Berge.
Style of Play
4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, High Press, Possession-Based, Technical, Progressive, Attacking, Flexible, Modern, Creative, Intelligent, Balanced
The Barbarians 2024 are imagined as a side built for modern international football — tactically fluid, technically gifted, and driven by collective intelligence rather than nationality. Their structure shifts between a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, allowing adaptability across opponents and in-game scenarios.
Under a conceptual coach like Marcelo Bielsa, the team would combine aggressive pressing, positional rotation, and controlled possession. Could the double pivot of Sander Berge and Jordan Henderson provide stability and creativity, enabling smooth transitions and sustained ball retention. Ahead of them, Martin Ødegaard acts as the creative hub, linking midfield and attack with incisive passes and intelligent movement.
Out wide, Dejan Kulusevski stretch play and cut inside to overload central areas, while Erling Haaland leads the line — a powerhouse capable of both link-up play and explosive finishing. The full-backs, anchored by David Alaba and Ben White, would push high to provide width, supported by Lukáš Hrádecký's command and distribution from the back.
The philosophy is built on fluid transitions, vertical progression, and creative autonomy — a hybrid of South American flair and European structure. Every player is trusted to express themselves within an intelligent tactical framework, making the Barbarians 2024 not just a dream team, but a blueprint for how modern football could look if borders disappeared.
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