The 529th Weekly Post from the CIES Football Observatory presents the clubs having trained* the highest number of footballers who played in the big-5 during the current season. With no fewer than 40 players in the five major European leagues graduated from La Masia, Barcelona tops the rankings. Real Madrid (35 players) and Paris St-Germain (31 players) round up the podium.

Another French club, Stade Rennais, ranks fourth (29 players), ahead of the first team outside the big-5 : AFC Ajax (27 players). The top 10 also includes Chelsea, Real Sociedad, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. Argentina’s River Plate heads the table for non-European teams, ahead of Brazil’s Flamengo and Senegal’s Génération Foot.

The Post also presents the rankings for the current season in terms of minutes played (Real Madrid here first), as well as the standings for the last five and ten years. In both cases, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Paris St-Germain occupy the top three spots, confirming their status of the most productive clubs in training players for the big-5, ahead of Olympique Lyonnais.

* Training clubs are defined as the first teams where players remained for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.

>>> All rankings

>>> Global analysis

>>> New Prospect Sheet on best young talents : Johan Manzambi

Valued at €343 million, Lamine Yamal continues to be the most expensive player in the world according to the CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model. The young Spaniard is ahead of two centre forwards who, although older, keep scoring and performing well : Erling Haaland (€255m) and Kylian Mbappé (€201m). Top 100 here.

At the top of the list in January last year, Jude Bellingham is now fourth (€153 million). The Englishman from Real Madrid is ahead of Bayern Munich’s Frenchman Michael Olise (€137m) and Liverpool’s new signing Florian Wirtz (€136m). The top 10 also includes two Paris St-Germain players, Désiré Doué and João Neves, another Real Madrid member, Arda Güler, and a further FC Barcelona’s footballer : Pedri González.

The highest value for a player outside Europe’s big-5 leagues was recorded for Palmeiras’ Brazilian Vitor Roque (€85 million), ahead of FC Porto’s Spanish forward Samu Aghehowa (€76 million) and Sporting CP’s Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda (€70 million), already signed by Chelsea. Gianluigi Donnarumma (€81m) tops the table for goalkeepers, Pau Cubarsí (€110m) for centre backs and Nico O’Reilly (€90m) for wide backs.

>>> Top 100

>>> Top valued player per club in >60 leagues 

The last Weekly Post of 2025, the 527th in a series that began in 2012, presents the 100 players worldwide born in 2006 or later who are not yet playing for a big-5 league club having performed best this year. The rankings were established using a method developed exclusively by the CIES Football Observatory and the data meticulously collected by our partner Impect.

The highest score overall was recorded for Dutchman Givairo Read of Feyenoord (85 out of 100). Although currently injured, he should soon be able to celebrate his first cap for Netherlands. This ’well-rounded’ wide back is ahead of Portugal’s Geovany Quenda (Sporting CP, but already signed by Chelsea) and Ghana international Caleb Yirenkyi, from the veritable talent factory that is Danish side FC Nordsjælland.

France’s Joane Gadou (RB Salzburg) ranks first among centre backs and Sweden’s Simon Eriksson (IF Elfsborg) among goalkeepers. This Scouting report presents the top ten U20 players outside the big-5 for fifteen categories established by combining players’ level of activity in six areas (aerial play, recovery, distribution, take on, chance creation and finishing) as per Impect data and their main position (method also here).

>>> Top 100

>>> Full Scouting report (including estimated transfer values for all players)

The 526th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the most physically robust outfield players in terms of minutes played in official matches (club and national team) over the past year. Paraguayan international Júnior Alonso (Atlético Mineiro) tops the list, ahead of Belgium’s Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge) and Argentina’s Nicolás Otamendi (SL Benfica).

Among players born in 2004 or later, the top three are Dutchman Wouter Goes (AZ Alkmaar), Ecuadorian Joel Ordóñez (Club Brugge) and Belgian Matte Smets (KRC Genk). Their ability to play matches at a high frequency will be a major asset for their careers. Colombia is the most represented country in the top 50 (seven players), reflecting both the tight schedule of the Colombian league and the physical strength of their players.

The Post also presents the distribution of minutes according to the type of competition (club national, club international and national teams), as well as the rankings for the last two, three, four and five years. The following players top the tables for each of these periods : Nicolás Otamendi (two years), Bruno Fernandes (three years), Gustavo Gómez (both four and five years).

>>> All the data

The 525th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the players worldwide whose transfer value* is likely to increase the most in absolute terms over the next six months without contract extension and according to a scenario predicting the same performance as in the last six months, both individually (minutes played, starting 11 rate, goal frequency, etc.) and collectively (results).

Ivorian winger Yan Diomandé (RB Leipzig) tops the rankings with a projected increase of €40.1 million. His current value is indeed estimated at €45.7 million, while his expected value on 10 June 2026, according to the scenario described above, is €85.8 million. Newcastle United’s German Nick Woltemade (+€26.2 million) and another Ivorian, Bazoumana Touré of Hoffenheim (+€23.9 million), complete the podium.

In total, the published list includes no fewer than 169 players active in 23 different leagues. The projected increase in their transfer value over the next six months is at least €5 million. This free tool, on the other hand, presents the highest-valued player per club in 67 leagues around the world. However, assessments for all players are available to professionals via a paid platform.

* Further information on the statistical model developed by the CIES Football Observatory to assess from a scientific perspective players’ transfer values and make projections about future values can be found in this scientific article.

>>> 169 players list

Thanks to the data meticulously collected by our partner Impect, this Weekly Post presents the U23 players from 52 leagues around the world who are most skilled at advancing their team’s play with passes towards the opposition’s goal*. The study reveals the extraordinary abilities of Belgium’s Jorne Spileers, who completes an average of 11.8 ‘progressive’ passes per 90 minutes, with a record success rate of 84% and a progression index of 100.

Two other centre backs complete the podium: Spain’s Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Portugal’s António Silva (Benfica). Fourth, Norway’s Häkon Volden (Rosenborg) is the youngest player in the top 10 (18.5 years). Two other players under the age of 20 feature in the overall top 10: Gambia’s Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh (Tromsø) and France’s full international Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain).

Among wide backs, the top three are Álvaro Carreras (Real Madrid), Michal Gurgul (Lech Poznań) and Joaquin Seys (Club Bruges), with Luca Bombino (San Diego) being the youngest in the top 50. For midfielders, Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) leads the way ahead of Warren Zäire-Emery (PSG) and Amadou Koné (Neom SC). The youngest midfielder in the top 50 is Argentina’s Álvaro Montoro (Botafogo).

* At least 30 meters if starting and finishing position in own half, 15 meters if in different halves and 10 meters if in opponent half.

>>> Full data

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