The 478th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks football clubs and academies worldwide according to their ability to train top-level players. Portugal’s Benfica top the list, both for the number of footballers trained* playing in 49 top divisions around the world, and with respect to the training index, a metric that weights the numerical presence of players trained by their sporting level**.

On a global scale, Benfica (94 players trained for a training index of 103.7) are ahead of Argentina’s Boca Juniors (93; 102.2) and Barcelona (81; 98.6). The Catalans come out on top when only players currently active in the European big-5 are considered (46 players; 58.6), ahead of Real Madrid (34; 44.0) and Paris St-Germain (35; 39.5). Regarding footballers playing in the 30 main European leagues, the best training index was measured for Ajax.

The players included in the sample had to be present on October 1st 2024 in the first team squad of clubs in the following 49 leagues and have played domestic league matches up to that date. If this was not the case, they had to have played at adult level (not including B teams) in each of the two previous seasons. Second or third choice goalkeepers were considered in all cases.

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* Training clubs are the first teams in which footballers have played for at least three years between the seasons of their 15th and 21st birthdays (inclusive).

** The sporting level of players is computed by considering all official game minutes played at senior level during the last year, weighted by the sporting coefficient of matches according to this methodology.

The 477th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post compares clubs in 49 leagues around the world according to the average age at which the players in their current squad were signed (not including youth academy graduates). Two BlueCo clubs are among the four big-5 league teams most focused on young players: RC Strasbourg (1st, 21.8 years) and Chelsea FC (4th, 22.5 years).

Four Red Bull teams are also among the teams recruiting the youngest players on average: RB Salzburg (3rd overall behind MŠK Žilina and Rukh Lviv), RB Leipzig (3rd in Europe’s big-5 behind Strasbourg and Brentford), as well New York RB and RB Bragantino (1st and 2nd among clubs from the 19 non-European championships surveyed).

Several teams taking part in the Champions League are among those most focused on recruiting young talent, such as Shakhtar Donetsk, Sturm Graz, Real Madrid, Monaco, Stuttgart, Paris-St-Germain and Sporting CP. In contrast, teams such as Inter, Atlético Madrid and Girona focus primarily on signing experienced players.

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The 476th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the top 50 players in take on area, both in the European big-5 and in 60 other leagues around the world. The top three for the five major European championships is made up of Mohammed Kudus (West Ham), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton) and Nuno Tavares (Lazio).

With regard to the 60 other leagues included in the analysis, the highest values were recorded for São Paulo’s Brazilian Ferreira, Malmö’s Swede Taha Ali and Gremio’s Venezuelan Yeferson Soteldo. The youngest players in the rankings are Yamine Lamal for the big-5 (17.2 years) and Estêvão Willian (Palmeiras) for the other leagues (17.5 years).

The take on index is computed on a scale of 100 from the frequency of successful dribbles achieved by players, corrected by their success rate (Wyscout data). A dribble is considered successful when the team of the player who attempted it maintains possession by approaching the opponent’s goal or when the dribbler is fouled. The data refer to the current season’s domestic league matches. Only footballers who played at least 360’ have been included in the rankings.

The 475th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 clubs worldwide whose footballers under contract have the highest aggregate transfer value (including players on loan to other teams). With a squad featuring many young stars bound by long-term contracts, Real Madrid clearly leads the way with the highest aggregate transfer value ever recorded for a football club: €1.728 billion.

Manchester City ranks second, with an ’owned-players’ valuation of €1.471 billion. Another English club, Chelsea FC, is third: €1.388 billion. Despite recent results that have not always lived up to expectations, the Londoners have a squad that is both rich in numbers and young talented players tied by long-term contracts. In terms of the average value of players owned, Real Madrid are in first place, followed by three English clubs (Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool).

The estimates were calculated on the basis of a statistical model developed exclusively by the CIES Football Observatory, using a methodology explained in this peer-reviewed paper recently published in the International Journal of Financial Studies. The estimated transfer values of the best-valued player by club in over 60 leagues worldwide are available free of charge in this online tool.

The 474th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the top 50 creators of chances in today world football, both in the Europe’s big-5 and in 60 other leagues around the globe, according to an exclusively developed index (see below). The top Portuguese talent João Neves (Paris St-Germain) outranks the iconic Lionel Messi (Inter Miami).

For the five major European leagues, João Neves is ahead of Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen) and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona). At the level of the other 60 leagues included in the analysis, two Spaniards rank after Lionel Messi: Iñigo Vicente (Racing de Santander) and Riqui Puig (Los Angeles Galaxy). The youngest players in the top 50s are Lamine Yamal and Kenan Yildiz for the big-5, as well as Kendry Páez (Independiente del Valle, on loan from Chelsea) for the other leagues.

The chance creation index is calculated on a scale of 100 by adding the frequency of passes leading to a goal or a clear chance, passes made to the assistman (second assist), as well as passes breaking the opposition’s defensive line received by a teammate (Wyscout). More explanations in this Monthly Report. The data refer to the current season’s domestic league matches. Only footballers who played at least 360’ have been included in the rankings.

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The 473rd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents SkillCorner data on the midfielders with the best statistics for keeping the ball in high-pressure situations* in 18 European top divisions, the Brasileirão and Mexico’s Liga MX. Bayern Munich’s German full international Joshua Kimmich tops the list among midfielders who have been confronted with at least 60 high-pressure situations during the current season.

Torino’s Italian international Samuele Ricci and Tigres UANL’s Brazilian Rafael Carioca complete the top three. Three players who have not yet turned 21 feature in the top ten: two from the Danish side Nordsjælland (Ivory Coast’s Mario Dorgeles and Denmark’s Zidan Sertdemir), as well as Paris St-Germain’s French prodigy Warren Zaïre-Emery. The youngest player in the top 100 is Tijuana’s great Mexican talent Gilberto Mora (15.9 years, 43rd).

By team, the highest values were recorded for Manchester City (84.4%), Juventus (83.8%) and Shakhtar Donetsk (83.7%). These are all clubs that attack collectively, which makes the task of players carrying the ball easier, as analysed in greater detail in this Monthly Report. This is why the Post also presents the gap measured for each player in relation to his team’s average, with WSG Tirol’s Austrian Valentino Müller a surprising leader.

* A player is considered under pressure when he is in possession of the ball and at least one opponent player nearby him is trying to either recover the ball or limit his options. For each situation, SkillCorner determines the intensity of pressure by considering the speed of the players applying it, their distance to the player in possession and the angle of their movement. More information is available here.

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