9th April 2026
April 9 – Latest figures from the CIES Football Observatory offer a useful snapshot of where Europe’s top leagues stand when it comes to youth development – and the gap to the rest of the world remains stark.
Among the big five leagues, FC Barcelona set the pace, with 20.7% of domestic league minutes over the past five years going to U21 players. Fuelled by their La Masia talent factory – producing the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Fermin Lopez – Barca stand out with 34 different young players used in that period.
They are followed by RC Strasbourg (18.6%) and Sunderland AFC (18.5%), the Ligue 1 club benefitting from being a sister club to Chelsea under the BlueCo ownership. Whilst Chelsea have been able to channel emerging, unproven talent into a competitive first-team environment in France, Strasbourg have gained unique access to a steady pipeline of high-upside U21 players they otherwise would not have been able to attract.
France, in particular, is well represented in the ranking. Olympique Lyonnais (16.4%), Toulouse FC (14.6%) and Stade Rennais (14.5%) all feature in the upper echelons, with European champions Paris Saint-Germain just behind (13.4%).
Elsewhere, the numbers begin to taper. Borussia Dortmund (11.7%) and RB Leipzig (11.2%) maintain their reputations for developing young talent, while Manchester United (11.0%) and Valencia CF (10.9%) sit further back.
Beyond that group, U21 minutes drop off quickly, pointing to a more cautious approach across much of the elite game – alongside a limited supply of top-level U21 talent.
That caution is thrown into sharper relief when placed alongside the global picture.
Across the top 50 leagues worldwide, Denmark’s FC Nordsjælland are the clear outliers, with 44.7% of minutes given to U21 players. Slovakia’s MŠK Žilina (35.3%) and Austria’s RB Salzburg (35.0%) follow, reinforcing the role of smaller European leagues as development hubs.
Outside Europe, Uruguay’s Defensor Sporting (25.4%), Colombia’s Fortaleza CEIF (24.1%) and Venezuela’s Caracas FC (21.5%) lead the way.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [moc.l1775732958labto1775732958ofdlr1775732958owedi1775732958sni@g1775732958niwe.1775732958yrrah1775732958](javascript:;)