The 530th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the outfield players not yet having turned 22 who most outperformed their teammates during the current or last completed season in 65 leagues around the world. The rankings were compiled using Impect data based on performance in eight game areas, as explained in this methodology note.

The study highlights young talents whose performance level makes them eligible for transfers to more prestigious teams. Several of the footballers mentioned have in fact already been transferred. These notably include Nigerian Suleman Sani, (from AS Trenčín to RB Leipzig), Bulgarian Rosen Bozhinov (Antwerp to Pisa), Senegalese Massiré Sylla (Lyn FK to Union St-Gilloise), Ivorian Jocelin Ta Bi (Maccabi Netanya to Sunderland), Costa Rica’s Kenay Myrie (Saprissa to FC København), Morocco’s Gessime Yassine (Dunkerque to Strasbourg), etc.

The three U22 footballers with the highest performance ratio compared to their teammates overall are France’s Joris Manquant (Stade Nyonnais), in the Swiss second division, Turkey’s Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) and Belgium’s Wout Asselman (Jong Gent). The three youngest players in the top 10 of a league are Mexico’s Gilberto Mora (Club Tijuana), Belgium’s Alexander De Ridder (RSCA Futures), and Brazil’s Zé Lucas (Sport Recife).

>>> Full rankings

>>> CIES Football Observatory methodology

>>> More about Impect

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

>>> More about Impect

The 523rd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the world’s smartest clubs on the transfer market since January 2021 in terms of the financial balance sheets of players recruited as professionals (i.e. excluding youth academy signings) and already permanently transferred to other teams. Eintracht Frankfurt tops the list with a positive balance of +€286m : €364m in revenue and €78m in expenditure.

The Germans are ahead of Brighton & Hove (+€221m) and Stuttgart (+€178m). Atalanta (+€150 million) and Benfica (+€147 million) round out the top five. In contrast, the most negative trading balances for players signed and transferred over the last five years were recorded for two Saudi clubs, Al-Hilal (-€197m) and Al-Nassr (-€104m), followed by three English teams : West Ham (-€99m), Aston Villa (-€85m) and Manchester United (-€74m).

If we add fist team squad recruits since 2021 who are still under contract with their signing clubs, and subtract their acquisition price from the current estimated value according to our statistical model, Eintracht Frankfurt is once again the best club with a balance of +€670m (+€286m for players recruited and already sold ; +€384m for those recruited and still owned), ahead of Real Madrid (+€591m), with Manchester United at the opposite end (-€482m).

* The rankings only include clubs whose total transfer spending and income since 2021 exceeds €10 million. The balance sheets take into account add-ons regardless of whether they have actually been paid or received, as well as sums earned through sell-ons.

>>> Full data

The 522nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks 50 top divisions worldwide according to the percentage of minutes played by U21 footballers eligible for the national team of the league’s country over the 2025 calendar year. The Australian A-League Men’s leads the rankings (17.7% of minutes).

Serbia’s Super Liga (15.8%) and Danmark’s Superliga (11.7%) round up the podium of the leagues where U21 eligible footballers played the greatest proportion of minutes in 2025. Among the five major European leagues, the figures range from 7.8% for France’s Ligue 1 (17th overall) to 1.9% for Italy’s Serie A (second lowest figure), with a particularly low rate also in the English Premier League (2.4%).

The Post also presents the number of U21 players eligible for the countries of the 50 leagues analysed who played in one of these championships in 2025. In this case, Argentina (213 U21 eligible players for a total of 112,455 minutes and a cumulative experience* of 74,236) is ahead of Colombia (185, 88,706 minutes, 50,047) and Brazil (173, 73,325 minutes, 44,558). France is fourth in terms of number of players and minutes and third in terms of cumulative experience.

* The cumulative experience was calculated by weighting the total number of minutes by the average sporting level of the matches played according to this method.

>>> Full study

>>> Video resuming the eight first Prospect Sheets with Impect on the best talents worldwide (all Sheets)

The 521st CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 players in the world who should earn the highest salaries according to a statistical model* taking into account sporting variables over the last year (playing time, sporting level of matches and rate of games in the starting 11), as well as the primary position played. Kylian Mbappé tops the list with an estimated deserved gross annual salary of €22.8 million (fixed part only).

This amount is 40% lower than that received, thanks to the fact that Real Madrid did not have to pay a transfer fee when he was signed in the summer of 2024, as well as the superstar effect allowing star players to monetise their status beyond their sporting performances. Mohamed Salah and Jude Bellingham complete the podium of the players deserving the highest salaries with respect to the variables included in our model.

Offensive players earning generally more than players in other positions, centre forwards and wingers are overrepresented at the top of the rankings. For other positions, Thibaut Courtois ranks first among goalkeepers, Virgil van Dijk among centre backs, Achraf Hakimi among full backs, João Neves among central or defensive midfielders, while Dominik Szoboszlai is second only to Jude Bellingham among attacking midfielders.

*Built on almost 2,000 salaries negotiated by players for permanent transfers or contract extensions, the CIES Football Observatory proprietary statistical model used in this study explains 83% of the differences in the amounts observed.

>>> Top 100

>>> New Prospect Sheet with Impect : Kader Meïté (Stade Rennais)

The 520th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the players who have not yet celebrated their 20th birthday with the highest transfer value according to our statistical model. In four cases, the estimate exceeds €100 million (with add-ons and for 100% of rights) : Lamine Yamal (€350 million), Estêvão Willian (€118 million), Pau Cubarsí (€113 million) and Franco Mastantuono (€102 million).

The top ten also includes Frenchman Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly from England, Portugal’s Geovany Quenda (Sporting CP, already signed by Chelsea), another Brazilian, Endrick Felipe (Real Madrid), and Sweden’s Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham).

In total, 113 teenagers playing in 25 leagues and 80 clubs around the world are estimated to be worth at least €10 million. The English Premier League is the best represented (23 players), ahead of the German Bundesliga (16) and the French Ligue 1 (11). This exclusive tool presents the most valuable player per team in 67 leagues.

<<< full list

Issue number 519 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 50 nations in the world whose clubs have generated the most revenue over the last ten years from the international transfer of players trained in the country (including add-ons and sell-ons). France is clearly in the lead with €3.98 billion, an average of almost €400 million per year.

Clubs in two other countries have generated more than €2 billion from the international transfer of locally trained players over the last decade : Brazil (€2.60 billion) and Spain (€2.24 billion). Revenues exceeded €1 billion in six other countries : five European (Portugal, the Netherlands, England, Germany and Italy) and Argentina.

Transfers of players aged 20 or under account for almost one third of total revenue. Among the top 20 nations, this percentage is particularly high for Serbia (64.7%), Brazil (50.1%), Denmark (48.4%), Sweden (47.9%) and Belgium (43.8%). These figures reflect the early international transfer of players trained in these countries.

>>> Full data

The CIES Football Observatory is also happy to disclose its 7th Prospect Sheet in collaboration with Impect highlighting the great KRC Genk’s talent Konstantinos Karetsas.