January 29 – Barcelona’s academy continues to do what no other club can match: generate elite talent at scale and actually hold onto it.
According to the latest weekly post from the CIES Football Observatory, FC Barcelona sit top of the global ranking for the highest aggregate transfer value of academy graduates still under contract – whether in the first team or out on loan – with a combined “mobilisable” asset value of €738 million. No other club comes close.
The headline figure is driven by a new generation that has arrived fast and stayed valuable. Lamine Yamal alone accounts for €335 million of that total, while Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López and Alejandro Balde reinforce Barcelona’s long-running ability to refresh their squad internally rather than buy at market rates – enforced by their inability to spend big due to financial restrictions.
Manchester City (€286m) and Bayern Munich (€284m) complete the top three, underlining how academy productivity has become a central pillar even for clubs backed by significant spending power. City’s leading homegrown asset is Nico O’Reilly (€92m), while Jamal Musiala (€87m) once again tops Bayern’s internal list.
Spain dominates the upper reaches of the table. Real Madrid (€256m), Athletic Club (€211m) and Real Sociedad (€205m) all post academy graduate values above €200 million, with Atlético Madrid (€186m) rounding out a top ten that features five LaLiga sides.
Athletic’s figure is underpinned by sheer depth rather than one standout name, while Real Sociedad lead the table for volume, going a step further with 37 academy players contributing to their total.
England places three clubs inside that €200m-plus bracket – Arsenal (€235m) and Chelsea (€222m), in addition to Manchester City. Arsenal’s academy output is smaller in number (eight players), but Myles Lewis-Skelly’s €80m valuation highlights a growing shift towards high-value, early-impact graduates.
Chelsea’s Levi Colwill (€67m) is their most valuable internal asset, though the club is increasingly reliant on incoming talent than Cobham’s finest.
Paris Saint-Germain (€204m) are the only French club in the top ten, led by Warren Zaïre-Emery (€87m), whose rapid rise has become central to PSG’s post-Galáctico strategy.
Outside Europe’s big five leagues, Portugal once again leads the way. Sporting CP (€141m) and FC Porto (€126m) rank 11th and 12th overall, anchored by Gonçalo Inácio (€45m) and Rodrigo Mora (€64m) respectively. Benfica (€113m) follow closely behind, ahead of Dutch pair AZ Alkmaar (€120m) and Ajax (€117m), whose academy models remain productive but are increasingly challenged by earlier player exits.
Further down the list Shakhtar Donetsk (€104m) continues to produce high-value talent despite prolonged disruption in Ukrainian football.
CIES also pointed to a growing contribution from outside Europe. The top three non-European clubs in the ranking are Corinthians (led by Breno Bidon), Vasco da Gama (Rayan Vitor) and Boca Juniors (Di Lollo), reinforcing South America’s role as a primary development hub, even if player retention is continuously limited.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1769686756labto1769686756ofdlr1769686756owedi1769686756sni@g1769686756niwe.1769686756yrrah1769686756