The long-term work carried out within the CIES Football Observatory focuses, in particular, on the demographic analysis of the football players’ labour market. The surveys carried out over the past decade allow us to reveal very clear trends. As illustrated in this report, the footballers’ labour market in Europe is becoming deterritorialised by a decreasing presence of club-trained players, a stronger presence of expatriate footballers and greater mobility.

This report analyses club strategies in the area of player turnover for the five major European leagues since 2005/06. It reveals that too many changes in line-ups do not constitute a good strategy for optimising results. On the contrary, high turnover levels tend to affect players’ confidence and aggravate the situation.

The 37th CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses from a financial standpoint transfer operations carried out by big-5 league clubs since 2010. It notably highlights the key role played by the Premier League in the structuration of the market. During the eight-year period analysed, English top division clubs are responsible for 78.3% of the overall big-5 league deficit for transfer operations.

Football offers incredibly interesting possibilities to when it comes to data-driven analysis. This e-book regroups the Monthly Reports published by the CIES Football Observatory over the course of the 2017/18 season. Two research notes are also included. The contents mainly relate to our three key areas of expertise: the demography study of the players’ labour market, the analysis of the technical performance of both teams and players, as well as the economic study of the transfer market.

The 36th CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses the composition of squads in five major women’s leagues: four European (Germany, Sweden, France and England), as well as the Women’s National Soccer League in the United States. The study notably highlights the increases in the average age of players. The number of expatriate footballers goes also up both on the pitch and in squads.

The 35th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses the presence of expatriate players in the world. The sample is composed of 12,425 expatriate footballers present on the 1st of May 2018 in 2,235 teams from 142 leagues of 93 national associations. Brazil is the most represented country (1,236 expatriates), followed by France (821) and Argentina (760). The nationals from these three associations make up 22.7% of the total number of expatriates.

The first CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report published in January 2015 studied club stability across Europe. Three years later, the thirty-fourth edition develops this issue by illustrating the value of long-term planning for football clubs. The indicator selected is the percentage of players recruited by their employer club since less than one year.

The analysis of the presence of club-trained players in squads across Europe is particularly interesting when it comes to comparing football cultures and strategies on an international level. The report covers first team squad members of clubs from 31 top division European leagues. It relies on the annual census carried out by the CIES Football Observatory on the 1st of October of every year since 2009.

The demographic analysis of squads is a key research area of the CIES Football Observatory. The 32nd edition of the Monthly Report analyses the age structure of teams in 31 top division European leagues. This allows us to show discrepancies on an international level, while also investigating the links between the age structure of teams and success.

The 31st CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses transfer networks from different angles. Firstly, it studies the destinations of expatriates from the three main exporting countries: Brazil, Argentina and France. It then analyses from a historical perspective the recruitment areas of big-5 league teams. The same study is carried out at club level for Real Madrid, Manchester United, AS Rome, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain.

The thirtieth Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the profile of the 32 teams that have qualified for the final phase of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™. The study covers the thematics of age, height, country of birth and employer association of players fielded by each squad during the qualifying matches.

This Monthly Report analyses the evolution of the demographics of the European football players’ labour market since 2009. The study covers the thematics of training (club-trained players), internationalisation (expatriate footballers) and stability (players recruited during the year). The statistical indicators that have been reviewed allow to compare policies pursued by clubs in composing their squads on both a temporal and spatial level.

The analysis of pitch performances at both individual and collective level is one of the three principle fields of research of the CIES Football Observatory. The 28th edition of our Monthly Report compares 35 national competitions across Europe using the database made available by the InStat company. The sample comprises 19,544 matches played between the 1st September 2015 and the 31st August 2017.

The study of the transfer market constitutes one of the key areas of research of the CIES Football Observatory. This report analyses the paying fee transfers having taken place since 2010 which involved teams of the five major European championships: the English Premier League, the Spanish Liga, the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1.

Women’s football is currently undergoing a welcome development. At the elite level, the process of professionalisation is well underway in several countries worldwide. Following in the footsteps of the CIES Football Observatory studies, this report analyses the composition of squads in five of the world’s most developed leagues (Frauen Bundesliga, Damallsvenskan, Division 1 féminine, Women’s Super League and National Women’s Soccer League). The study investigates the criteria of age, origin and international status of players.

The 25th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses the presence of expatriate footballers in 137 leagues of 93 national associations worldwide. In total, 174 national associations have at least one representative active abroad in a club included in the sample. Brazil is the most represented country in absolute terms (1,202 expatriates), followed by France (781) and Argentina (753).

The 24th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report studies the demographic evolution of the big-5 European leagues since the 2009/10 season. The analysis focuses on the percentages of domestic league minutes played by four categories of players: club-trained, under 21s, expatriates and recent arrivals.

The studies carried out since 2005 by the CIES Football Observatory are not only geared towards the general public, but are also useful to actors in the game. The 23rd Monthly Report illustrates an approach that allows a professional football league to analyse on an objective basis its international positioning and influence in a positive way the strategic choices of the clubs that compose it. The example chosen is that of the Swiss Football League.

Goalkeepers occupy a particular status in football teams. The qualities needed to play in this position are very different from those required from outfield footballers. Issue number 22 of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report compares goalkeeper characteristics with those of footballers playing in other positions. More particularly, the study examines the criteria of height, age, origin and mobility.

The 21st Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory presents a predictive analysis of the number of points that each big-5 league club will obtain at the end of the season. In order to do this, we use a multivariate statistical model built on the basis of results observed from the 2011/12 season onwards. The model takes into account the offensive and defensive performances of big-5 league teams until the 31st December of each season, as well as the level of their grip on the game.

Issue number 20 of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report investigates the international mobility of minors in football. It notably reveals that the number footballers who left their country before to turn 18 playing in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations has reached a new record high in 2016. English clubs are by far the most active in the international recruitment of minors.

The 19th Monthly Report presents the main findings of 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. The study shows that the presence of club-trained players continues to decrease, while that of expatriates is on the increase. The greater international mobility of players brings with it a growing instability in squads.

The 18th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the recruitment strategies followed by clubs from the five major European championships. The Report shows that the most competitive teams pursue a transfer strategy based on quality. They focus on the fee paying transfer of young players with high potential and hold on to those who perform best over the long term. In addition, the wealthiest teams tend to recruit more internationally than those with lesser means at their disposal.

The 17th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses monetary flows related to the transfer of players within European football. Since 2010, big-5 league team investments have grown almost continually year after year to reach a new record of €4.2 billion in 2016. English Premier League clubs account for about 40% of the total expenditure.

The 16th edition of the Monthly Report presents the exclusive approach developed by the CIES Football Observatory research team to estimate both the transfer value and the fee paying transfer probability of professional footballers. The methodology is illustrated through the presentation of the big-5 league players who, on June 1st 2016, were at the top of the rankings for both transfer value and probability.

Issue number 15 of the Monthly Report presents the exclusive method to objectively measure the technical performance of players that the CIES Observatory has been developing since 2010. The approach is illustrated by presenting the rankings of the best big-5 footballers in 2015/2016 per both area of the game and position. The Report also identifies the best performing players in comparison to teammates. This type of analysis is particularly useful in unveiling the potential of footballers who do not yet play for the most competitive clubs.

As a continuation of the analysis published in February 2015, this Monthly Report presents the experience capital approach developed by the CIES Football Observatory to identify players most likely to succeed in their career. The Report presents the most experienced U23 players taking part in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. The study also highlights the crucial role played by competitions outside of the big-5 leagues in the sporting development of footballers present in these championships.

The thirteenth edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses the evolution of the fielding of young players in 31 European top division leagues. Between 2009 and 2015, the overall percentage of minutes played by U22 footballers has remained stable. However, for young nationals this figure has decreased. This trend reflects the growing mobility of players from a very early age.

The twelfth Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the presence of foreign players in 37 top division leagues worldwide: 12 European, 12 Asian, 12 from Latin America and the American MLS. Overall, foreign players represent 26.6% of squads, with a maximum of 66.5% in the English Premier League and a minimum of 6.1% in the Brazilian Serie A.

Issue number 11 of the Monthly Report compares the profile of 50 national A-team squads at worldwide level from the perspective of age, height, employer clubs and place of birth. The study notably shows the high concentration of talent in the wealthiest leagues. Almost one minute out of two was played by big-5 league footballers. In total, 68.9% of minutes were played by footballers under contract with foreign clubs. England is the only squad who did not field footballers playing abroad.