Observatoire du football CIES

Most powerful football agencies: global ranking

Admin — 2026-04-22T07:16:52Z

The 543rd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the world's most powerful football agencies. The ranking is based on the aggregate transfer value of the players represented by the companies or for whom the latter hold transfer negotiation rights, according to publicly available information*.
At the top of the list is an agency formed from the merger of several entities : CAA Stellar / Base. This US-controlled group represents the interests of no fewer than 84 players whose transfer (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre mensuelle

Top U23 outfield players: 67 leagues

Admin — 2026-04-15T08:11:43Z

The 542nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the U23 outfield players currently active in 67 leagues worldwide who have performed best over the last six months. The rankings have been compiled based on players' performances across eight game areas (Impect data), the sporting level of matches played, results and playing time*.
The following footballers top the table in their respective position: Pau Cubarsí (centre backs), Warren Zaïre-Emery (wide backs), Aleksandar Pavlović (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Top development clubs: use of U21 players

Admin — 2026-04-08T08:26:09Z

The 541st CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post highlights the clubs currently competing in 50 top divisions worldwide where footballers who had not yet turned 21 have played the highest percentage of minutes in domestic league matches over the last five years. Denmark's FC Nordsjælland top the list with no less than 44.7% of minutes by U21s.
The Slovakian side MŠK Žilina (35.3%) and the Austrian side RB Salzburg (35.0%) complete the podium. The top three clubs outside Europe are Uruguay's SC (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Most profitable football academies: last decade

Admin — 2026-04-01T07:01:42Z

The 540th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 clubs worldwide that have earned the most from the transfer of players from their youth academies* over the last ten years. The top three are Portugal's SL Benfica (€589 million), Netherlands' AFC Ajax (€454 million) and England's Chelsea FC (€442 million).
The top 10 also includes two clubs from France's Ligue 1 (Olympique Lyonnais and Monaco), another Portuguese club (Sporting CP), another English one (Manchester City), as well as (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Online survey: acknowledgements and follow-up

Admin — 2026-03-30T09:42:26Z

Dear subscribers,
A big thank you to everyone who has already completed our online questionnaire on men's professional football !
We are sending this message to remind those who have not yet responded, in order to maximise the sample size of respondents. Thank you for helping us to better understand the measures you believe are necessary to improve football.
The results of the survey, which is completely anonymous, will be published in the form of a freely accessible report, ahead of the (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre mensuelle

Transfer to a top flight club: most expensive U23s

Admin — 2026-03-25T07:11:18Z

The 539th Weekly Post presents the hundred U23 players not yet under contract with one of the ten most powerful clubs worldwide* with the top estimated transfer value according to the CIES Football Observatory's statistical model. Juventus's Turkish young star Kenan Yildiz is well ahead of the rest. His transfer could be worth up to €133 million (including add-ons and for 100% of transfer rights).
Inter Milan's Italian Pio Esposito (€95 million) and RB Leipzig's Ivorian Yan Diomandé (€84 (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Men's professional club football questionnaire

Admin — 2026-03-19T13:12:05Z

Dear subscriber and football passionate,
The CIES Football Observatory mission is to advance the frontiers of knowledge for the balanced development of football worldwide. With this in mind, we have drawn up a questionnaire to find out your views on a range of current issues relating to men's professional club football.
Your responses will help us identify the measures you believe needed to ensure that football continues developing in a positive direction. The results of the survey, which (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre mensuelle

Long-term squad management: global index

Admin — 2026-03-18T08:18:08Z

The 538th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the global ranking of clubs whose squad management is most focused on the long term, based on an index combining four indicators : the number of players used in league matches over the last three years (the lower the better), the average stay of current players in the first team squad, the average remaining contract length of those same players, and their average age at the time of signing (the lower the better)*.
Real Madrid (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Value of players owned: Chelsea in the lead

Admin — 2026-03-11T08:28:03Z

The 537th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 teams in the world with the highest aggregate transfer value of players owned, estimated according to our statistical model. Chelsea tops the ranking with a total of €1,732 million spread across 54 players, ahead of Manchester City (€1,608 million, 47 players) and Real Madrid (€1,541 million, 36 players).
Chelsea is also the team listed with the best distribution of values among players under contract, with the highest-valued (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire

Most decisive players: Messi in world form

Admin — 2026-03-04T07:38:10Z

The 536th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the players having scored or assisted the most goals in matches played over the last year in 67 leagues around the world. From a purely numerical perspective, without considering the level of the leagues where these contributions were made, Lionel Messi dominates the competition with 59 G+A (37 goals and 22 assists) : 17 more than any other player !
By weighting the G+A contributions according to the level of the matches in which (...)

- Newsletter_EN / abonnement, Lettre hebdomadaire