Study: Chelsea & Manchester United amongst sides with most academy products playing in Europe’s top five leagues

BettingOdds.com have analysed which youth academies around the world have produced the most players currently involved in squads that participate in one of Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A & Ligue 1), with Premier League side’s Chelsea and Manchester United both sitting in the Top 10. 

All players included in the study have been associated with the last academy they were with before they turned 16 years old, the age when schoolboy forms come to an end. 

The results are broken down into 4 sections, which include:

• The Top 25 Youth Academies worldwide that have produced the most players currently involved in squads in Europe’s Top Five Leagues
• The teams in Europe’s Top Five Leagues with the most youth academy products in their squads
• The academies that have produced the most players currently involved in squads in Europe’s Top Five Leagues (by country of team)
• The academies that have produced the most players currently involved in squads in Europe’s Top Five Leagues (by continent of team)

The teams in Europe’s Top Five Leagues with the most youth academy products in their squads

Athletic Bilbao - 10
Celta Vigo - 10
Nimes - 9
Rennes - 8
Manchester United - 8
AS Saint-Etienne - 8
FC Koln - 8
West Ham - 8
Barcelona - 7
Montpellier - 7
Osasuna - 7
Chelsea - 6
AC Milan - 6
Schalke 04 - 6
Genoa - 6
Lyon - 5
Valencia - 5
Atalanta - 5
RC Lens - 5
Manchester City - 5
Stuttgart - 5
Bordeaux - 5
West Brom - 5
Southampton - 4
Liverpool - 4

The academies that have produced the most players currently involved in squads in Europe’s Top Five Leagues (by country of team)

France - 461
Spain - 366
England - 274
Italy - 248
Germany - 236
Brazil - 102
Argentina - 75
Holland - 68
Portugal - 60
Belgium - 41
Switzerland - 39
Serbia - 36
Austria - 34
Croatia - 32
Denmark - 27
Uruguay - 25
Poland - 22
Colombia - 20
Sweden - 18
Czech Republic - 17
Japan - 15
Greece - 14
Norway - 14
Nigeria - 13
Mali - 12

The academies that have produced the most players currently involved in squads in Europe’s Top Five Leagues (by continent of team)

Europe - 2,119
South America - 248
Africa - 95
Asia - 29
North America - 22