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The CIES Football Observatory, a Swiss academic institute dedicated to sports studies, turned its attention to youth teams around the world this week. In research published this Wednesday, the observatory listed and ranked the most efficient youth categories in training elite athletes in world football. Benfica, from Portugal, tops the list, with São Paulo, Flamengo and Corinthians at the top among Brazilian football academies.
The study used two methodologies: the main one is quantitative, which shows the number of athletes that each base revealed among those active in what CIES considered the 49 main elite leagues in the world. Athletes who played at least one game for the main teams in the current season or in the last two were considered. Including those who play for the club that revealed them.
The second methodology is qualitative, taking into account the sporting level of the leagues in which these athletes play, in a long criterion based on rankings and results. It can be viewed, in English, by clicking here. Combining these two methodologies, the study arrives at a “training index”, a ratio between the number of players revealed and the level of the leagues.
Benfica leads the ranking with an index of 103.7 and 94 athletes revealed, followed by Boca Juniors (102.2 and 93), Barcelona (81 and 98.6), River Plate (89 and 96.8) and Ajax (85 and 94.5).
São Paulo, the first Brazilian on the list, appears in 17th, with 57 athletes revealed and an index of 66.3. Flamengo is 24th (60 revealed and index 59.8) and Corinthians is 28th (51 revealed and index 57.1). Also on the list are Fluminense (30th), Internacional (33rd), Grêmio (37th), Palmeiras (43rd), Cruzeiro (62nd), Santos (69th), Athletico (70th) and Vasco (93rd).
The study also allows a filter for athletes who only play in the five main European leagues. In this filter, the top 5 has Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Valencia and Rennes-FRA, without the presence of Brazilians. It is still possible to see broader results from athletes who play in leagues in Europe, Asia and South America. Click here to check out the full study.
