Year after year, the CIES Football Observatory research team has developed a powerful approach for the technical analysis of player performance. On the basis of this methodology, issue number 171 of the Weekly Post presents the 10 best performing big-5 league players per position. Cristiano Ronaldo heads the table for forwards ahead of Lionel Messi.

To be eligible, a player must have been fielded for at least 900 domestic league minutes so far. Moreover, rankings make the distinction between full international players and footballers who did not yet play for a national A-team. The latter rankings allows us highlighting the top level performances of many players who are still relatively unknown.

The highest score overall was recorded for Real Madrid’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo: 94. This figure is one point higher than that measured for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. In other positions, the best performing players so far have been Manuel Neuer and Stéphane Ruffier among goalkeepers, Mats Hummels among centre backs, Alex Sandro among full backs, Thiago Alcântara and Paul Pogba among central midfielders, as well as Kevin de Bruyne and Philippe Coutinho among attacking midfielders.

The highest score overall for non full internationals was observed for Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) and Jonathan Viera (Las Palmas): 87. The youngest footballers in the top 10 lists for players yet to be selected for national A-teams are Yann Karamoh (Caen), born in 1998, Allan Saint-Maximin (Bastia, on loan from Monaco) and Jesús Vallejo (Eintracht Frankfurt, on loan from Real Madrid), both born in 1997.

Issue number 170 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the number of players fielded in domestic league matches from July 1st 2016 onwards by clubs in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. The record values were observed for the Finnish champions Mariehamn (17 players) and the Croatian side RNK Split (37 players).

At big-5 league level, the teams having fielded the most players are not in the top positions of the table in their respective league: Werder Bremen (30 players, 14th), Osasuna (29, 20th) or Lorient (28, 20th). Conversely, Chelsea (1st), Bayern Munich (1st), RB Leipzig (2nd) and Nice (1st) are among the clubs having used the least footballers.

This analysis shows that quality is the key criterion to assemble successful squads. It also highlights that too much turnover does not allow teams to significantly improve their performance standards. The data for all teams in the 31 top division leagues surveyed are available in the CIES Football Observatory Digital Atlas.

We wish you a happy new year, with plenty of exciting football matches and statistics!

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Issue number 20 of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report investigates the international mobility of minors in football. It reveals that the number of players who left their country before to turn 18 has reached a new record high in 2016. English clubs are by far the most active in the international recruitment of minors.

Almost 600 footballers having moved abroad before the age of 18 currently play in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. For almost one third of them, the first foreign destination was England. The second biggest importing country for minor players is Italy. In terms of origins, the most represented nations are Belgium, Sweden, France, Hungary and Austria.

As fully developed in the book Slow foot (only available in French), the Report indicates that “players having left their country under the age of 18 have, on average, less rewarding careers than footballers who left later with more experience under their belt”. The authors claim that “the premature international migration of inexperienced players poses serious risks for both the footballers concerned and the teams recruiting them”.

According to Drs. Raffaele Poli, Loïc Ravenel and Roger Besson, “unfortunately, in spite of all sporting logic, and in an overly speculative context where numerous actors make their living out of player transfers, the international flow of minors increases with each year”. Far from being solved, the issue of the transfers of minors in professional football will certainly still receive considerable attention in the years to come.

Read the Report here

Issue number 169 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post highlights clubs whose footballers have played the most minutes in national A-team matches in 2016. At the top of the table is Juventus. Throughout the year, twenty-one players from the Italian team have taken part in 157 international matches for a total of 12,454 minutes.

In the top three positions of the rankings also are Tottenham Hotspur (19 players, 155 matches, 12,009 minutes) and Barcelona (20 players, 134 matches, 10,802 minutes). Six English clubs are in the top ten positions: Tottenham (2nd), Arsenal (4th), Manchester United (6th), Manchester City (8th), Southampton (9th) and Chelsea (10th).

The best ranked team outside the big-5 European leagues is Fenerbahçe: 13th (18 players, 94 matches, 7,011 minutes). The Thai club Muang Thong United occupies the highest position for a team outside UEFA member countries: 17th (10 players, 84 matches, 6,611 minutes). Teams from 42 associations are to be found in the top 100.

Issue number 168 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 footballers born on or after January 1st 1997 who played so far the highest percentage of minutes in 31 top division European leagues. Among the four players fielded for 100% of minutes are three goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Alban Lafont (Toulouse) and Adam Jakubech (Spartak Trnava).

The only outfield footballer who played all minutes between July 1st and November 30th is the Dutch centre back Justin Hoogma (Heracles). The top ranked big-5 league outfield centre back is another very promising centre back: Malang Sarr (Nice). The most represented leagues in the top 100 are the Slovakian (9 players), the Dutch (8 players) and the French ones (7 players).

In addition to Lafont, Donnarumma and Sarr, only two other players born in 1999 are in the top 100 of the rankings: Petko Hristov (Slavia Sofia) and Alexander Isak (AIK Solna). In addition to Hoogma, 21 other footballers born in 1998 are among the 100 most fielded U20 players. The remaining footballers are born in 1997.

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The CIES Football Observatory is proud to disclose the brand new version of its exclusive Digital Atlas on the composition of squads in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. All the data is available for free.

The Digital Atlas allows football passionate to compare the profile of teams throughout Europe according to six indicators: age, height, stability, expatriates, club-trained players and turnover. The data refers to domestic league matches played during the last six months. It will be updated on a monthly basis.

The CIES Football Observatory website also presents the rankings of the European top division clubs having on average fielded the youngest players, the most stable line-ups and the most club-trained footballers. For more information, please contact us at football.observatory@cies.ch

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Brazil tops the list of countries with the most expatriates in 31 top division championships of UEFA member associations. France heads the table at big-5 league level. All data is available in issue number 167 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post.

In total, 469 Brazilians are currently playing in the 31 leagues surveyed. France is the second biggest exporting country (312 players). Another nation with a very competitive training system ranks third: Spain (201 players). Two other associations have more than 150 expatriate footballers in the 31 top division championships analysed: Serbia (189 players) and Argentina (168).

Issue number 167 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post also presents the rankings of associations exporting the most players to the five major European championships. France (116 players) outranks Brazil (114), Argentina (97), Spain (66), Belgium (48) and Switzerland (48). All these countries are in a favourable position to assemble very competitive national team squads.

Issue number 166 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks European teams according to the average age of line-ups fielded in domestic league matches since July 1st 2016. Danish side Nordsjælland heads the table at the level of 31 top division European leagues (22.1 years), while Toulouse tops the big-5 league rankings (23.4 years).

Based in Farum, 20 km from Copenhagen, Nordsjælland was recently bought by a group of investors also involved in the running of a football academy in Ghana, Right to Dream. They are currently ranked 8th in the Danish Superliga. In the top three of the European rankings also are Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) and Senica (SVK).

In the top eleven positions of the big-5 league rankings are only French and German clubs. Among them notably are the two clubs currently heading the Ligue 1 and Bundesliga tables: OGC Nice (2nd) and RB Leipzig (4th). The youngest Italian team, Milan AC, is 12th. Two English Premier League clubs are in the top 20 positions of the rankings: Tottenham (15th) and Liverpool (18th).

Henceforth, the rankings will be updated every month by taking into account domestic league matches played during the six previous months. The data for the 100 top-ranked clubs at European level and the figures for all big-5 league teams are already available on the CIES Football Observatory website. Please spread the word!

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The CIES Football Observatory is happy in announcing the launching of its official Twitter account. @CIES_Football will allow us to share with our followers some exclusive information related to our three main research areas: football players’ labour market, transfer value estimates and technical analysis of player performance.

We warmly invite you to join us on this media and spread the word to anyone potentially interested. Thank you for informing your friends or colleagues also on the possibility to receive our news by providing a valid email address here. Your interest is the best reward for the work carried out since more than 10 years!

Issue number 165 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post analyses the stability of squads in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. The championships surveyed are compared according to the percentage of players who joined the first team squad of their employer team after January 1st 2016.

The record high for new players per club was recorded in Bulgaria: 64% of squad members. At the opposite end of the table, the Austrian top division is the only league where the proportion of players present in the first team squad since less than one year is lower than one third: 31%. At big-5 league level, the figures vary between 36% in Germany and 45% in both Spain and Italy.

Southern and Eastern European leagues are over-represented among those with the most unstable squads. In eleven championships, more than half of players joined the first team squad of their employer club since less than one year. Among these leagues notably are the Portuguese (56% of new players) and Turkish ones (53%).

See also Monthly Report n° 19, Demographic Study of football in Europe

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The presence of club-trained footballers greatly varies throughout Europe. Issue number 164 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks 31 top division championships of UEFA member associations according to the percentage of club-trained players in squads.

In three countries, footballers who have been for at least three seasons between 15 and 21 years of age in their employer club account for less than 10% of squad members: Turkey (6.9%), Portugal (9.6%) and Cyprus (9.6%). At the opposite end of the table, the percentage of club-trained players is over 30% in Slovakia (31.5%) and Ukraine (30.6%).

The lowest proportion among big-5 leagues was recorded in the English Premier League: 10.0%. Since 2012, this percentage has steadily decreased to reach a record low in the current season. Conversely, in the Spanish Liga, club-trained footballers account for almost one quarter of squads: 24.1%. The multiple trophies won by Spanish clubs in European club competitions suggest that the ability to field top level players from the youth academy provides a competitive advantage over rivals.

See also Monthly Report n° 19, Demographic Study of football in Europe

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correct link

The annual census carried out since 2009 by the CIES Football Observatory on the profile of players active in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations confirms the decrease in the presence of club-trained players, the increase in that of expatriates and the growing squad instability throughout Europe. The main findings are presented in the 19th edition of the Monthly Report.

The study notably shows that the presence of club-trained players continues to decrease: from 23.0% in 2009 to 19.2% in 2016. This is the lowest value ever measured. In parallel, the level of expatriates has reached a new record in 2016: 38.7% (+3.9% since 2009). For the first time since our survey has been carried out, the percentage of expatriates is over twice that of club-trained players.

The greater international mobility of players brings with it a growing instability in squads. The average number of players recruited during the year among those present on the 1st October has increased from 9.1 in 2009 (36.7% of squads) to 10.7 in 2016 (43.9%). This is also a new record. The average length of stay of players in their employer club has never been as low as in 2016: 2.2 years.

The sample is made up of footballers present on the 1st October having played in domestic league matches during the current season or having taken part in adult championships during each of the two preceding ones. Second and third goalkeepers are taken into account even though they do not meet these criteria.

For more information, please contact us at football.observatory@cies.ch

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La Lettre hebdomadaire n° 163 de l’Observatoire du football CIES présente le classement annuel des clubs ayant formé le plus de joueurs. Real Madrid est en tête du classement pour les footballeurs du big-5. Aux deux premières places l’an passé, Barcelone et l’Olympique Lyonnais rétrogradent. Ajax a formé le plus de joueurs évoluant dans 31 championnats de première division européens.

En accord avec la définition de l’UEFA, les clubs formateurs des joueurs sont ceux qui les ont entraînés pendant au moins trois saisons entre l’âge de 15 et 21 ans. Les classements prennent en compte les footballeurs dans l’effectif de la première équipe ayant joué en championnat jusqu’au 1er octobre de la saison en cours ou ayant disputé des rencontres dans des championnats adultes lors de chacune des deux saisons précédentes.

Club formateur de 41 joueurs actuellement dans le big-5, Real Madrid devance Barcelone (37) et Manchester United (34). Trois clubs français sont présents dans le top 10 : Lyon (29), Monaco (22) et Rennes (22). Ajax est premier au niveau des joueurs actifs dans 31 championnats de première division européens. Le club néerlandais devance le leader de 2015 Partizan Belgrade et Dinamo Zagreb.

Les classements 2016

Classement 2015 pour les joueurs du big-5

Classement 2015 pour 31 ligues de première division européennes

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Issue number 163 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the annual list of the most productive training clubs. At the head of the rankings for big-5 league players is Real Madrid, while Dutch side Ajax tops the table for footballers in 31 top division European championships.

As per UEFA definition, the training clubs of players are teams having employed them for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. The list takes into account first team squad members having played in domestic league games until October 1st of the current season or in adult championships during each of the two previous ones.

Real Madrid trained the most footballers currently playing for big-5 league teams: 41. The Spanish side outranks the 2015 top-ranked team Barcelona (37) and Manchester United (34). Ajax heads the table for players in 31 top division European leagues, ahead of the 2015 top-ranked club Partizan Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb.

2016 rankings

2015 rankings for big-5 league players

2015 rankings for 31 top division European leagues

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Real Madrid squad members were on average recruited at the age of 22.5 years. This is the lowest figure at big-5 league level. Issue number 162 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the data for the 98 clubs from the five major European championships. German and English teams are over-represented in the top positions of the rankings.

As developed in the 18th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report, the best clubs focus their recruitment on younger players than less competitive teams. In the top five positions of clubs whose transfer policy is the most centered on young footballers are four Champions League participating teams: Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Dortmund and Tottenham.

In the top ten positions are four German (Leipzig, Leverkusen, Dortmund, Mainz) and four English teams (Tottenham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Manchester United). Conversely, no German club is among the ten big-5 league teams whose recruitment strategy focuses on the most seasoned players. Italian side Cagliari is at the bottom of the table.

Issue number 161 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post compares big-5 league teams according to the number of players in their current squad signed after January 1st 2016. The best performing teams recruited fewer footballers than the less competitive ones. German champions Bayern Munich only signed two players.

Among the eleven least active clubs on the transfer market are seven teams competing in the UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Lyon, Leverkusen, Paris St-Germain, Tottenham and Atlético Madrid. Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Manchester United and Real Sociedad also are in the top eleven positions of the rankings.

The 18th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report presents an in-depth analysis of the recruitment policies followed by clubs from the five major European championships. The study notably highlights that the most competitive teams focus on the fee paying transfer of young players with high potential and hold on to those who perform best over the long term.

Issue number 160 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the percentage of domestic league minutes played by national footballers since the start of the season. At the top of the table is Osasuna (97%), while Udinese is at the bottom (1%).

In the top ten rankings of the lowest figures are many competitive teams, such as Chelsea (16%), Manchester City (17%) and Arsenal (23%). In total, national footballers played less than 50% of minutes in 51 clubs out of 98. This proportion is 16 out of 20 in the English Premier League.

Everton is the only English team currently ranked in the top third of the Premier League table who fielded national players for more than half of minutes (52%). National footballers played 41% of domestic league minutes at both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Transfer expenditure at the top of the football pyramid has significantly grown in recent years. Issue number 159 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post analyses the sums spent in transfer fees by big-5 league teams to assemble their current squad. In football history, no club has invested as much as Manchester United this season to make up its roster: €718 million (+€185 million compared to last season).

The fees paid to assemble Manchester United’s squad vary from €110 million for new signing Paul Pogba to zero for a few players among whom Zlatan Ibrahimovi?. At second and third positions of the squad cost table are Real Madrid (€634 million, + €47 million with respect to 2015/16) and Manchester City (€611 million, + €78 million).

Generally speaking, the correlation between the squad cost from a transfer fee perspective and the final position in the domestic league table is very high. However, last season, Leicester City won the English Premier League title with the 17th costliest squad out of 20.