Ali Barat’s big night – and why he says the award is “for the Epic family”
Fresh from winning the Golden Boy Best Agent award again, Epic Sports boss Ali Barat immediately framed the honour as a team achievement. “It’s a great honor to win such a prestigious trophy,” he said, before adding that he was “delighted for all the work that the Epic team and the Epic family has done and all the hours we put in to win this award.” He also highlighted the human side of the job: “The trust that the families and the players have put in to myself and Epic” is what gives the trophy its meaning.
Barat even joked about his age after being told he was still the youngest-ever winner: “Two years ago they told me I was the youngest ever winner, but I’m still quite young… don’t forget that.”
“We never sacrifice quantity for quality” – Epic’s operating model
When Romano asked how he stays consistently at the top, Barat went straight to the foundation of the agency. “We look, we never sacrifice quantity for quality,” he said, calling it “a real fundament of the company.”
He then explained how Epic tries to make a large agency feel personal: “We give a commitment to the players – have a direct one-to-one relationship with all the players inside the agency.” For Barat, that direct link is non-negotiable because it builds trust and clarity: “We give our absolute best with a very clear strategy that we define with the players to deliver them their dreams.”
Romano compared Epic’s organisation to a top football club, and Barat loved the framing: “It’s great that you look at us like a top club… we put a lot of emphasis in working with the players off the pitch because we know if they are good mentally off the pitch then they’re going to deliver results on the pitch.” But he also stressed the core KPI agents live by: “Ultimately we need to deliver them their transfers when it’s time to deliver those transfers – and that responsibility I take very seriously.”
The deal that defines his style: Moisés Caicedo to Chelsea
Asked which transfer best captures his style, Barat didn’t hesitate: “For me the Moises Caicedo deal was a very interesting deal.” He described “a lot of ups and downs,” including moments when “the deal was completely off” and it looked like “Moises is going to stay in Brighton.”
That’s where he believes an agent earns his keep: “In those kind of situations, you have to be ready to fight for your players,” he said, before closing the loop with satisfaction: “That situation worked out really well. Moises is doing great in Chelsea right now.”
And what happens emotionally when you finish a months-long negotiation and sign a record Premier League deal? Barat’s answer was brutally real: “That day I went back to my hotel, I took a bath. I was so exhausted. I just sat back and relaxed.” Then he delivered the mindset that defines his pace: “The next morning though I was back at it working on the next transfer and the next one and the next one. So it’s that obsession to deliver the responsibility that the players give to me.”
Choosing Real Madrid: Dean Huijsen, family power, and the Xabi Alonso moment
Romano raised Dean Huijsen – a player Barat said was wanted by “all the top clubs around the world” – and asked why Real Madrid won. Barat described a process driven by family involvement: “We visited all the clubs with his family. His family are really involved in Dean’s career.”
Then came the decisive trigger: “When we had the phone call from Real Madrid that they were interested… I think the decision for Dean was really easy.” The final push was the coach-to-player conversation: “Xabi Alonso wanted to speak with him and after that conversation… Dean was convinced that the right club for him was Real Madrid.”
For Barat, it ties back to his central theme: “It all starts with the dream… and I’m really proud that I’m able to help them relive those dreams.”
Late-window chaos that still worked: Nico Jackson, Bayern and “relationships built over years”
On the Nico Jackson situation with Bayern, Romano highlighted the chaos of injuries and deadline pressure. Barat positioned it as the perfect example of why relationship capital matters more than headlines. “That transfer was a great example of all the relationships that have been built up over years,” he said.
He broke it into two layers. First, the player trust: “Firstly the relationship with Nico. So the trust that him and me had together – that was crucial.” Second, the club trust: “The relationships built up with Bayern Munich to keep them confident that the transfer could happen… even though it happened in the last 10 minutes of the transfer window.”
When asked what happens next for Jackson, Barat refused to force a narrative: “The season is still very early… he’s got a long season with Bayern… it’s very early to answer that question.” His plan is patient and structured: “Me and Nikico will sit at the end of the season, see all the options and then we’ll make a decision together.”
Romano also called it a “gamble” to wait until the end of the window. Barat pushed back firmly: “I think there’s no gambling.” Why? “Bayern were very confident that they wanted Nikico. So, we had the will of the club, we had the will of the player. We knew also that Chelsea were happy for Nico to find a team. So, we just had to put all those three things together and stay together.”
Tottenham and Xavi Simons: the coach’s pitch as the deciding factor
Ali Barat then lifted the curtain on Xavi Simons’ move to Tottenham, again highlighting how much modern deals are about belief in the project. “Thomas Frank asked Xavi to come to the Tottenham training ground to have a meeting,” he said. “After that meeting, Xavi was really convinced that this was the right project for him.”
From there, it became a deadline mission: “We just made sure it went through again before the transfer window closed.”
Next wave: Kevin Schade, speed and the Premier League market
Romano asked about future deals and Barat pointed to Kevin Schade. “Kevin had a fantastic season last year,” he said, noting “11 Premier League goals” and that he is “now a German international.” But the attribute Barat believes is most transferable to elite demand is pace: “I think he’s one of the fastest players in the Premier League.”
He also offered a window into what clubs are buying now: “A lot of coaches now, they’re looking for speed… especially teams playing with very high lines.” Even if Schade is happy, Barat expects the interest to return: “I’m sure again a lot of big clubs will come for Kevin this summer and we’ll sit down again at the end of the season and discuss all the options and make the right choice.”
Justin Kluivert – momentum at Bournemouth and World Cup runway
Romano also asked about Justin Kluivert, describing him as one of the newer additions to Barat’s client roster and a player whose development keeps accelerating. Barat highlighted Kluivert’s upward trajectory and the recognition he earned at club level: “He had a fantastic season last season. He was voted player of the season by Bournemouth.” He then pointed to the broader context that can drive summer-market demand: “He’s doing fantastic with the national team” and “they’ve got the World Cup coming as well.”
Barat’s expectation was clear: “I’m very confident that again there’ll be a lot of clubs coming for Justin.” As with other clients, he framed the decision-making as a structured end-of-season process: “We just have to sit down again at the end of the season, assess all the options, sit with Bournemouth, and then we all make a decision together.”
Tomas Araújo – “I’ve been with Thomas since he’s 16” and why top clubs keep circling
Romano also brought up Tomas Araújo, referencing long-running links with elite clubs and asking whether there was ever a real opportunity to move earlier – with rumours previously connecting him to sides like Chelsea and PSG.
Barat didn’t confirm specific near-misses, but he did underline how closely he has managed the defender’s career path: “I’ve been with Thomas since he’s 16 years old.”
For Barat, Araújo is a modern coach’s prototype, pointing to “a few very key attributes” – “his speed, his technical ability” – and explained why that profile is in demand: “Modern coaches… they’re all playing with very high lines.” He even namechecked the style context: “Especially teams like Barcelona.” The conclusion from Barat was confident and forward-looking: “I’m very confident that a lot of top clubs will come for Thomas again in the summer.”
Epic’s expansion play: “Epic Future” and the Brazil talent pipeline
One of the biggest strategic reveals came when Barat spoke about expansion beyond Europe. “It’s not only Brazil,” he said, before announcing a new project: “We’ve just launched our new company – we’re calling it Epic Future.”
He revealed two early signings: “We’ve just signed two of the top Brazilian talents, Angelo and Veneno.” He added that one is already mapped for Europe: “One is actually going to join Strasbourg when he’s 18.” For the other, the market is active: “Veneno, we’re deciding right now where he’s going to go. We got various top clubs that want to sign him.”
Barat then explained the logic behind being early: “Clubs now in Europe are going earlier to sign these players. So we have to be there working very closely with these guys.” And he was clear that the job is cultural as much as footballing: “Making sure that when they come to Europe that they’re prepared, they know the language, they’re well integrated, they know the style of play – so when they arrive everything’s a very smooth transition for them.”
Inspiration – Maradona, Ronaldo, and the “less is more” endgame: Epic 22
When Romano asked who inspired him, Barat went back to his football origin story: “The first person that made me fall in love with football was Diego Maradona in the 1986 Mexico World Cup. For me, he was football.” Then he added another icon: “This continued with Ronaldo phenomenon.”
Finally, he revealed what he described as his next dream: a new concept with a strict cap. “We’ve just launched now our new company. We’re calling it Epic 22.” The structure is intentionally small: “We’re just going to have 22 players – two players per position.”
And the reason is focus: “The idea behind that is that we can give a very dedicated focus to our players… make sure that if it’s time for them to be transferred, all the attention is going on them.” Barat summed it up in one line: “Less is more… in this way.”
You can watch the full interview below.
