What Are The Best Football Academies in World Football? (Top 10 List)
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What Are The Best Football Academies in World Football? (Top 10 List)

What Are The Best Football Academies in World Football? (Top 10 List)

Across the footballing world, clubs have long been the birthplaces of brilliance, nurturing raw potential into world-class talent. From fearless 18-year-old debutants lighting up the pitch, to seasoned veterans who have embodied the spirit of the club. Every team has its homegrown heroes.

But who does it best? Which academies have mastered the art of producing stars who shine brightest on football's biggest stage?

Today, we will be diving into the elite and looking at the top 10 academies in world football.

Honourable Mentions

As always with Arthur's top 10s, there is always some teams that don't quite make it, so let's take a look at which clubs just missed the top 10.

Dinamo Zagreb

Once Champions League winners back in 1967, defeating Leeds 2-0, Dinamo Zagreb are not short when it comes to producing world-class talent. The Croatian side has produced the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, and more recently, Man City's Josko Gvardiol. Additionally, Zagreb recently sold their latest academy star, Martin Baturina, to Como. The player is sure to reach the heights of his predecessors.

Most notably, Mateo Kovacic debuted for Zagreb in the Champions League at 17, and then in a later fixture scored a goal against Lyon, making him the second youngest scorer ever in the Champions League. Kovacic went on to win 3 Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, and then a Europa League and another Champions League with Chelsea. Furthermore, Zagreb graduate Luka Modric won the Balon D'or and has enough Champions League trophies to fill a wardrobe. That's a credible academy if you ask us!

Athletic Bilbao

Heading to the Basque region with this one, Athletic Bilbao have strict principles as a club, with the main principle being that every player who represents them must also come from the Basque region.

Despite their unique model, the club have still managed to produce some top-quality talent over the years. Their most notable academy graduates over recent years are Nico Williams, Inaki Williams, and Oihan Sancet. But their biggest club legend is Iker Muniain, who spent over 2 decades at Bilbao, playing through every rank.

These 4 helped Athletic Bilbao lift their 24th Copa del Rey in 2024, in what was an emotional farewell for Muniain.

River Plate

Moving over to South America in Argentina, River Plate have produced some world-class talents. Their most legendary graduate would be one of the all-time greats in world football, Alfredo di Stefano.

More recent graduates from the River Plate academy are Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano, Enzo Fernandez, and Julian Alvarez. A conveyor belt for Argentinian talent, River Plate are always a talking point when it comes to who has the strongest academies.

Now the honourable mentions are cleared, let's get into the crux of it.

10. Arsenal (Hale End Academy)

In at number 10, Arsenal don't sit 2nd (or 4th) this time in the table. For years, Arsenal have prioritised a strong focus on their talents coming out of Hale End, often providing a clear pathway for them to play for the first team.

Their most notable academy products are Jack Wilshere, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Eddie Nketiah, with all 3 of them making at least 50 appearances for the Gunners, and in Wilshere's case, over 150.

Back in September 2022, Arsenal included 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in their Premier League squad, with the Englishman becoming the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League - Hale End heritage.

Arsenal also recently integrated Hale End graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly into their squad, with the player becoming a stalwart in the team throughout the 2024/25 campaign, picking up a few England caps along the way, even scoring for the Three Lions!

However, the biggest academy graduate for Arsenal in recent years has been Bukayo Saka. Saka has lit up the Premier League since making his debut at 17 years old. Starting as a left-back, Saka quickly found his way into the attack and has held down the right wing spot for both club and country for almost half a decade.

Still only 24 years old, Bukayo Saka already has 44 caps for England, playing in two European Championship finals for the Three Lions. Recently, Saka reached 100 goal involvements in the Premier League in his 200th appearance for Arsenal.

9. Real Madrid (La Fabrica)

Real Madrid is a club that needs no introduction, being the most successful club in world football. However, besides the ludicrous spending on the world's best talents, Los Blancos are not averse to producing their own.

Legends such as Raul, Iker Casillas, and Emilio Butragueno all came through La Fabrica and enjoyed illustrious careers for Real Madrid. It is also worth noting that Real Madrid produce world-class talent that don't stick around and seek opportunities elsewhere, such as Juan Mata and Achraf Hakimi.

Most recently, academy graduate Dani Carvajal was named the club captain for the 2025/26 season.

8. Manchester United (Carrington)

You didn't really think we could get through this list without mentioning the Class of '92, did you? Think again.

The Manchester United youth side that won the FA Youth Cup back in 1992 was stacked to the brim with future stars. David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, and Paul Scholes all went on to enjoy fantastic careers at the Red Devils, lifting everything there was to win in English football alongside manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

More recently, Manchester United have produced talents such as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, with the latter going on to score 136 goals for the club.

7. S.L. Benfica (Benfica Campus)

Benfica are no strangers when it comes to producing top talents, and profiting hugely off them. Their recent graduates include the likes of Joao Felix, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva. The trio were sold to Europe's elite, totalling a combined transfer fee of around £200 million – not bad!

One of their most famous recent graduates was Renato Sanches. At just 17 years old, Sanches was the "Yamal before Yamal", heavily featuring in Portugal's Euro 2016 winning campaign and lifting the Golden Boy award.

Their strong development structure over the years has enabled the club to maintain a profitable and sustainable model, with the side often featuring in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. However, they may be better off holding on to their talents if they want to go a bit further and reach their previous heights.

6. Manchester City (The CFA)

Since their takeover in 2008, Man City have become European footballing giants, with heavy investment into their academy.

Their most notable graduate is Phil Foden, who has made well over 300 appearances for the Sky Blues, lifting everything there is to win in English football as well as a Champions League – all of this at just 25!

Foden was named Premier League Player of the Season and the PFA Player's Player of the Year in 2024.

Besides Foden, City have also produced some top-quality talent that have gone onto greener pastures. Namely, Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, and Morgan Rogers.

5. Sporting CP (The Academia Cristiano Ronaldo)

Perhaps the name of their academy gives this one away, eh?

Obviously, the most notable graduate produced by Sporting CP is Cristiano Ronaldo, whose achievements need no further comment. However, let's look away from CR7 for a second.

Sporting has also produced talents that went on to have world-class careers, such as Luis Figo and Bruno Fernandes, and it is widely regarded as the strongest academy in Portugal. Their most recent talent is 18-year-old Geovany Quenda, who completed a pre-transfer agreement with Chelsea back in March 2025 and is one to watch for sure.

Always ones to watch in the UCL owing to their plethora of talent, recent years have seen Sporting cash in on their talents, selling them to Europe's elite. Nonetheless, their squad is still littered with homegrown talent.

4. Clairefontaine (France Football Academy)

The first non-club academy in this list, Clairefontaine cannot be ignored. The France Football academy needs no introduction, producing some legendary names over the years. The biggest name to come out of Clairefontaine is Premier League and footballing legend Thierry Henry. Henry is regarded as one of France's greatest ever forwards too, with the player lifting the World Cup back in 1998.

Other notable names are Nicolas Anelka, Blaise Matuidi, and Olivier Giroud, who all went on to enjoy fairly trophy heavy careers.

But perhaps the biggest name to come out of Clairefontaine in recent years is Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe won the World Cup with France back in 2018, at just 19 years old. The 2022 World Cup saw Mbappe score a hat-trick as Les Bleus lost on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina. Mbappe is now entering his second season with Real Madrid, and with the player now entering his prime, many expect the sky is the limit for the French forward.

3. Chelsea (Cobham)

It is no secret that Chelsea are serious when it comes to youth production, with the Blues profiting from their academy for the best part of 2 decades. Whilst their academy has always been considered one of the best, having produced the likes of Premier League hall of famer and legendary captain John Terry, it wasn't until the club received a transfer ban for the 2019/20 season that they were forced to make use of the talent at their disposal as opposed to selling it.

In what was possibly the most bizarre football season ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chelsea finished 4th under then-manager Frank Lampard, with over 10 Cobham graduates playing a huge role in the campaign. The 2019/20 season saw the introduction of Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Billy Gilmour, Armando Broja, Marc Guehi, and Ian Maatsen. Furthermore, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who were already fully integrated graduates, played a vital role in the side's qualification for the Champions League.

The next season saw Chelsea build on their youth talent, adding some much-needed experience into their squad. The end of the 2020/21 season saw Chelsea lift the Champions League trophy for the second time, with over 10 academy players featuring in the tournament for the Blues.

Despite the success of Cobham, there have also been some talents which Chelsea have let go in recent years, most notably Jamal Musiala.

Nonetheless, Chelsea still remain heavily reliant on their academy today, with Reece James captaining the side in a new era. Further Cobham graduates currently featuring for Chelsea are Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Tyrique George, and Josh Acheampong, with all of them featuring heavily under Enzo Maresca.

Furthermore, it has been over 6 years since Chelsea last went into a Premier League game without a Cobham graduate in their squad.

2. Barcelona (La Masia)

La Masia is widely considered the greatest ever footballing academy, and for good reason – but for us, it's second.

Yes, we know; this may be criminal when you consider the calibre of talent that has come through. Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Busquets - take a deep breath - Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Pau Cubarsi, Carles Puyol, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas - run out of breath yet?

Lamine Yamal is the most recent academy graduate to set the world alight, lifting Euro 2024 with Spain at just 17 years old. Yamal just finished second in the Ballon d'Or, and it does not look like he is anywhere near his peak. He also became the first player to ever win the Kopa Trophy back-to-back. Yamal is a frightening talent; the galaxy is the limit.

But enough about Yamal, Xavi, Iniesta and co. We know what you're here for, the GOAT himself, Lionel Messi.

Graduating from La Masia in 2005, it was noticeable from the very beginning that this kid was different from the other talents. Fast forward 4 years, and Messi lifted his first of NINE, yes NINE, Ballon d'Ors at the ripe age of 22.

During his near 20-year spell at the Camp Nou, Messi won 35 trophies with Barcelona:

  • 10x La Liga
  • 7x Copa Del Rey
  • 4x UEFA Champions League
  • 3 UEFA Super Cups
  • 3 FIFA Club World Cups

The greatest to ever do it, Lionel Messi also lifted the World Cup with Argentina in 2022. I guess one could say La Masia is pretty successful?

1. Ajax (De Toekomst)

Heading to the Netherlands for the number 1 spot - it's Ajax!

De Toekomst is an iconic academy, and Ajax are not just one of the most successful clubs in history but also have the best academy in world football.

Recently, the academy duo of Frenkie de Jong and Mathijs de Ligt took the world by storm with Ajax. The pair helped the side reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final back in 2019 against all odds. After the Champions League run and the Eredivisie triumph, both De Jong and de Ligt went on to set the world alight at bigger clubs. The side was also brimming with young talent, including academy graduate Donny van de Beek.

While these two were impressive, it's their history we're concerned about here, and their track record of being able to produce absolute top-quality footballers over generations. Marco van Basten began his career at De Toekomst, and despite retiring before the age of 30, the player still managed to win the Ballon d'Or 3 times whilst playing for European giants AC Milan.

Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp was also a product of Ajax's academy, with his technical ability making him both a Premier League and Netherlands football legend. Edgar Davids was another iconic player to come out of Ajax, although some may argue his best performances were for Barnet.

Frank Rijkaard, Patrick Kluivert, Wesley Sneijder, and Luis Suarez - all came from Ajax's setup.

However, perhaps the ultimate graduate from Ajax's academy is none other than Johan Cruyff. A legend of football, Cruyff lifted 3 Champions Leagues with Ajax before going on to play for Barcelona.

Considered by many older scholars of the game as the best to ever do it, Johan Cruyff's brilliance left a mark on football that will never be forgotten, and he lifted 3 Ballon d'Ors. Cruyff's skill was so good he had a turn named after him. Cruyff was so legendary that Ajax named the stadium after him when he sadly passed away in 2016.

The legacy Cruyff is immortal, and that is why Ajax is the greatest academy in world football.

Closing Remarks

Was it really criminal to put La Masia second? Perhaps we were too nice to Chelsea? Come argue your case, our DMs are wide open.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Arthur Turner

EFL Transfer and News Writer

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