How amazing it is for young talented academy players to grow and break into senior team football. Thereby attracting top clubs who are ready to pay heavily for an academy graduate. There are several clubs who have produced talented academy players in football today, having this young player in your team is an investment for a long run for clubs. The question is which are the best football academies in the world.
According to 90min, clubs that have generated over £100m from players sales for the past decade. Thses clubs are regarded as the best football academies.
Which football academy is the best in the world
Here are our top 10 best football academies in the world today.
10. Atalanta (Zingonia Academy) – €250m/£215m
When it comes to raising youth academies for financial gain, Atalanta stands as one of the best in Serie A. Unlike many of other Serie A clubs, Atalanta has generated a lot from their academy players.
Inter Milan are the second most profitable Italian club in Serie A with profit of €134 million (around £115 million).
One of the academy’s biggest sales has been the sale of Dejan Kulusevski to Juventus for £32 million. The transfer of Dejan Kulusevski was a prove that Atalanta has one of the best academies in the world
They also sold out Alessandro Bastoni, who was transferred to Inter Milan for £27 million. They also sold Andrea Conti, whose move to AC Milan brought in £21 million.
Man Utd wonder kid Amad Diallo was signed from Atalanta for £18 million, with add-ons and performance-related bonuses.
So many players in the Italian Serie A have a root from Atalanta youth academy, the total revenue from their academy operations stands at an impressive £215 million.
9. Man City (The City Football Academy) – €254m/£219m
Manchester City’s investment in their youth academy which has seen them made some reasonable amount from sold players. Over the years, the club’s ownership has invested resources to nurturing young talent, and the results has been evident for years now.
We are talking about products of City’s like Phil Foden, Micah Hamilton, Oscar Bobb, and Rico Lewis. These players are not only contributing to the first team but are also assets in the transfer market for the club due to their values.
A typical example of City’s player who sparkled the transfer market is Cole Palmer’s move to Chelsea last summer. The deal saw City pocket a fee of £40 million, this follows the £25 million transfer fee received for Kelechi Iheanacho in 2017.
Manchester City’s academy has generated an impressive £176.5 million in transfer revenue from 2019 to 2023. This figure shows how the club’s commitment to developing young talent has been profitable.
The performance of Cole Palmer at Chelsea and his recent performance at the just concluded Euro 2024 tells his value.
8. Tottenham (Tottenham Hotspur Training Academy) – €256m/£220m
Tottenham Hotspur has made a notable entry into the top ten clubs profiting from their academy players. All thanks to Harry Kane’s high-profile transfer to Bayern Munich which saw Tottenham bagged £86 million from the deal with German champions. The deal contributed to Tottenham’s total profit of £220 million in academy revenues.
Apart from Harry Kane’s deal Tottenham also made revenue from other players like Andros Townsend. He was sold for a fee of £13 million and many other Tottenham’s academy deals under £10 million.
Tottenham’s academy has proven to be a valuable asset, with the combined financial returns reflecting both the high-profile and more modest transfers. This success shows the growing impact of their youth development system on the club’s financial record.
7. Sporting CP (Academia Cristiano Ronaldo) – €306m/£263m
Though Sporting CP revenue from academy player is yet to match that of league rivals Benfica, they have quite some revenue as well. nonetheless established a commendable track record in profiting from their youth academy. The club’s ability to develop and sell talented players has made impact on their financial standing.
João Mário remains Sporting’s most profiting academy sale, with his £38.7 million transfer to Inter Milan in 2016 setting a high benchmark. More recently, Nuno Mendes added to their financial standing with a fee of £33 million move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. The club continued to produce young talented players after the transfer of Mendes and João Mário.
They also made some deals with players such as Gelson Martins, João Palhinha, Adrien Silva, and Rafael Leão. Which has contributed to Sporting CP’s financial profit in the transfer market.
All if these transfer increases the clubs ranking among the best football academies in the world.
6. AS Monaco (AS Monaco Reserves and Academy) – €325m/£280m
Monaco stands out in the top ten clubs for academy revenue, despite having sold fewer players compared to others on the list. The club has generated £280 million from just 18 academy graduates, which includes the £155 million transfer fee received from PSG for Kylian Mbappé in 2018.
Taking away Mbappé’s deal, Monaco has managed to generate a huge amount from other players like Benoît Badiashile move to Chelsea for £32.7 million, and Layvin Kurzawa’s move to PSG brought in £21.5 million. These deals has made their academy one of the best in the world today.
We also remember Monaco’s high-profile sales, such as Anthony Martial, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Thomas Lemar, were players they developed after acquiring them from other clubs.
Monaco’s academy has contributed significantly to these players financial success, it shows how good the academy is with young players.
Top 5 best football academies in the world
You might be wondering the top 5 clubs that stands out to be the best, here are the top 5 best football academies in the world.
5. Chelsea (Chelsea FC Development Squad & Academy) – €347m/£299m
Chelsea has also made good revenue from selling their young academy players to top clubs in Europe. From 2014 to 2018 made a revenue of £35 million from academy player sales.
However, this amount increased to £264 million between 2019 and 2023, showing how good in business the club can be with academy players.
The club’s biggest sales from their academy was Mason Mount’s transfer to Manchester United for £55 million in 2023. Also, Tammy Abraham’s move to Roma for £34 million and Romelu Lukaku’s transfer to Everton have contributed to Chelsea’s success in revenue.
Before now, Chelsea has sold several other academy graduates, including Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi, Nathan Aké, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. This shows club makes more revenue in selling academy players making their one of the best football academies in the world.
4. Real Madrid (La Fabrica) – €364m/£313m
Real Madrid are known for keeping talented academy players to strengthen the team ahead of time. But the club current have 43 academy graduates player across European top five leagues.
The breaking sales for Real Madrid’s youth ranks is Achraf Hakimi, who was transferred to Inter Milan for £37 million in 2020. Additionally, Sergio Reguilón’s £28.5 million move to Tottenham also increased their revenue.
The academy has also generated good fees from players like Marcos Llorente, Jese Rodríguez, and Álvaro Morata, each of whom has been sold for substantial amounts.
Despite Real Madrid’s reputation for acquiring top talent rather than selling, their academy’s ability to produce and sell high-value players shows the are one of the best football academies in the world.
3. Lyon (Olympique Lyonnais Reserves & Academy) – €370m/£318m
While Lyon may not have dominated European football in recent years, with their most achievement being a Champions League semi-final run in 2020, their academy has surprisingly excelled in generating revenue from player sales.
The most significant transfer in Lyon’s academy history was Alexandre Lacazette’s move to Arsenal for £46.5 million. More recently, Lyon capitalized on the sale of Bradley Barcola to PSG for approximately £39 million, and Castello Lukeba’s transfer to RB Leipzig brought in £25.8 million.
Apart from these deals, Lyon has also seen substantial fees from players like Malo Gusto, who moved to Chelsea, and Corentin Tolisso, who joined Bayern Munich. Samuel Umtiti’s transfer to Barcelona shows the club’s level of producing players to generate revenue.
Despite their level in European competitions, Lyon’s academy has proven to be an asset for the club.
2. Ajax (Ajax Youth Academy) – €376m/£323m
Ajax in recent years has shown their strength in producing talented academy graduate, which has generated a reasonable revenue for the club.
Although Ajax ranks second to Benfica in terms of total player sales by about £100 million, their position on the list of best football academies in the world is well deserved.
Their biggest transfer fee received in the last decade was for Antony who moved to Manchester United for £86 million (€108m) in 2022. Though Antony was not an academy graduate, following Frenkie de Jong, who moved to Barcelona for £65 million in 2019.
That same year, Matthijs de Ligt was sold for a similar amount, showing Ajax’s ranking for producing world-class talent. Other key academy transfer was Jurrien Timber and Donny van de Beek, each contributing to Ajax’s impressive financial returns.
Ajax stands out not only for the value of its player sales but also for the sheer volume of academy graduates sold. With 36 players moved on, Ajax surpasses Benfica by six.
Ajax has not been good since the departure of Erik ten hag and Antony to Manchester United. But the clubs remain the second best academy in the world of football.
1. Benfica (Benfica Campus) – €516m/£444m
Benfica’s academy stands out as a powerhouse in talent development, leading other academies. The club’s strategic position in a competitive Primeira Liga league, allows players to move out to Europe’s top clubs.
One key academy transfer is João Félix, whose £113 million transfer to Atlético Madrid in 2019 set a high bar. more transfers like Rubén Dias, who moved to Manchester City for £61 million, and Gonçalo Ramos, who joined Paris Saint-Germain for £68 million.
Along with other transfers Benfica answers the question of which is the best football academies in the world.
The club’s academy, located in the Seixal area of Lisbon, is celebrated for its exceptional output of both players and coaches. This reputation makes Benfica’s youth system a model of success in football development.
Benfica Campus has produced the best academy players which has moved the transfer market for decades. transfers like João Félix to Athletico Madrid
