The International Centre for Sports Studies from Switzerland (CIES Football Observatory) has released a ranking of the best football academies in the world.
Reportedly, the study took into account the amounts earned by clubs on transfers of their pupils. According to the official definition, a club pupil is a player who has spent at least three years in the club's structure under the age of 21.
According to this ranking, two Ukrainian teams are among the best club academies: "Shakhtar, which earned €158 million from the sale of its players, and Dynamo, which earned €137 million.
The leaders in the ranking are: "Benfica (€670 million), Chelsea (€630 million) and Barcelona (€581 million). The full ranking is available here.
Issue number 409 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks teams worldwide according to the total estimated transfer value of their youth academy graduates.
Issue number 409 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks teams worldwide according to the total estimated transfer value of their youth academy graduates.