Episode Summary
Hosts
Graham Dunn, Jamie Rooney
Scott Somenthal
Guest(s)
Release Date
30 March 2023
Duration
59 min
In this triple-header episode of By Far The Greatest Team, hosts Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined by Scott Somenthal to explore three very different but equally transformative football stories — the world’s oldest club Sheffield FC (1866), the flair and brilliance of Liverpool 1987–88, and the quiet revolution that began with RFC Liège 1990–91.
RFC Liège were a modest Belgian First Division side, far from European giants or domestic powerhouses. Yet, in 1990, they became the epicentre of a legal battle that would redefine football’s global economy. The club’s refusal to release midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman after his contract expired triggered a five-year legal struggle that ended with the landmark Bosman ruling (1995) — a decision that forever changed the transfer system, player rights, and the structure of the game.
Bosman wanted to move to French club Dunkerque, but Liège demanded a transfer fee despite his contract having expired — a common practice at the time. When the deal collapsed and Bosman was suspended without pay, he took his case to the European Court of Justice. The court’s verdict in 1995 ruled that such restrictions violated the EU’s freedom-of-movement laws, granting players the right to move freely at the end of their contracts.
The decision transformed football overnight. Clubs lost control over out-of-contract players, wages and agent power skyrocketed, and global transfer dynamics were permanently altered.
This episode reflects on RFC Liège’s unintended role in football’s biggest legal revolution — a story not of trophies or tactics, but of rights, power, and change.
Takeaways
RFC Liège’s dispute with Bosman sparked football’s most significant legal change.
The Bosman ruling granted players freedom of movement within the EU.
It marked the beginning of football’s modern financial era.
Clubs lost leverage, shifting power to players and agents.
The decision reshaped the global transfer market forever.
RFC Liège 1990–1991: The Club That Changed Football
RFC Liège’s 1990–91 season should have been unremarkable — a small Belgian club fighting for mid-table stability. Instead, it became the starting point of a revolution that would transform football forever.
When midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman sought a transfer to French side Dunkerque in 1990, Liège refused to release him despite his contract having expired. The club demanded a transfer fee, suspended him, and effectively ended his playing career. What followed was one of sport’s most important legal battles.
Bosman took his case to the European Court of Justice, arguing that the restrictions breached EU laws guaranteeing freedom of movement for workers. In December 1995, the court ruled in his favour, declaring that out-of-contract players could move freely between EU clubs and that quotas on foreign EU players were illegal.
The Bosman ruling reshaped football’s entire structure. Players gained unprecedented freedom and negotiating power. Clubs had to rethink contract management, agents rose in influence, and wages soared. The game’s economic and cultural landscape shifted — forever changing how clubs operated and how players planned their careers.
Though RFC Liège had no trophies to show from 1990–91, their name became synonymous with the sport’s most defining legal precedent. Every free transfer, every player negotiating a new deal, and every club balancing wage structures owes a quiet debt to a Belgian club that never meant to make history.
In this episode, By Far The Greatest Team revisits the small side that sparked a global transformation. RFC Liège 1990–91 remind us that not all greatness comes from the pitch — sometimes, it’s written in courtrooms, in contracts, and in courage.
Main Topics
Iconic Moments
The background of RFC Liège in Belgian football
Jean-Marc Bosman’s contractual dispute and suspension
The legal case and European Court of Justice verdict
How the Bosman ruling reshaped transfers, wages, and player freedom
The long-term economic and cultural impact on world football
Liège’s refusal to release Bosman after his contract expired
The failed transfer to Dunkerque in 1990
Bosman’s suspension and legal filing
The 1995 European Court of Justice ruling
The end of transfer restrictions for out-of-contract players
The birth of modern player power in football
Notable Manager
Robert Waseige
Notable Players
Jean-Marc Bosman, Danny Boffin, José Jeunechamps, Luc Nilis, Marc Wilmots, Philippe Léonard, Nico Claesen, Bruno Versavel, Franky Van der Elst, Luc De Rijck
Style of Play
4-4-2 Formation, Counter-Attacking, Compact Mid-Block, Work Rate, Transitional Play, Structured Defence
RFC Liège 1990–1991 were a functional and hardworking Belgian side, typical of the Jupiler League’s transitional era. Managed with pragmatism, the team prioritised structure, compactness, and counter-attacking football rather than flair. Their standard setup resembled a 4-4-2, with quick wide transitions and a disciplined defensive block.
The team’s core strength came from organisation and commitment. Midfielders like Jean-Marc Bosman operated as link men, recycling possession and breaking lines through short, vertical passing. The side’s strategy relied on defensive solidity — often sitting deep to absorb pressure before launching fast, direct attacks through overlapping full-backs and quick wingers.
Liège’s football reflected the industrial realism of early 1990s Belgium — a league that emphasised graft, structure, and adaptability over star power. Yet, their most enduring contribution to the game came not from tactics but from transformation.
Bosman’s legal battle, though off the pitch, symbolised the same courage and rebellion that defined great footballing revolutions. His fight for fairness became a metaphor for a new era where players gained autonomy and the sport moved toward globalisation.
RFC Liège’s 1990–91 season will never be remembered for silverware, but its legacy lies in the invisible — in the contracts, transfers, and freedoms that define the modern game.
Related Content
If you liked this one, you’ll love these classic episodes. Keep the nostalgia going — explore more from the By Far The Greatest Team Football Podcast archive.
