In the recent report number 478 by the CIES Football Observatory, the football observatory based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Benfica was recognized as the world’s leading club for producing high-level football players, ranking first in the number of trained players currently competing in 49 top divisions worldwide.
The training index
Benfica leads the global ranking of youth academies with a training index of 103.7, surpassing giants like Boca Juniors and Barcelona. Its 94 players, currently spread across 67 clubs and 27 leagues, testify to the Portuguese club’s excellence in talent development. The training index, created by CIES, sets the standard for measuring the effectiveness of youth academies, according to the observatory. The system evaluates two key factors: the number of players produced and their impact in high-level competitions. The calculation is based on minutes played over the last year, weighted according to the competitive level of the matches.
This evaluation method aims to establish a clear hierarchy among youth academies worldwide. The final score reflects not only a club’s ability to produce talent but, above all, to prepare players ready for top-level football. Minutes played in the most prestigious leagues have a higher value, thus rewarding clubs that train elite players. The strength of this system lies in its method: it combines quantitative data (number of players and minutes played) with qualitative assessments (level of the leagues), providing a comprehensive view of the clubs’ training capacity.
The keys to success: Benfica Campus, technical training, and personal growth
Benfica’s success lies in its Benfica Campus in Seixal, a development center inaugurated in 2006. This facility is a sports citadel hosting both the first team and all youth categories. The philosophy of the Portuguese club focuses on a crucial phase known as the “golden age,” which spans from six to thirteen years old. According to Rodrigo Magalhaes, the Academy’s technical coordinator, who spoke in a 2020 interview with the BBC, youth training is considered a long-term investment aimed at preparing players for the first team. At the time, the youth sector had 470 players in the academy. “If we compare the high cost of buying a top-level 22-year-old player with what we spend on young players, we could repeat the investment 20 times, and it would still be cheaper than buying a 22-year-old. We recruit them, integrate them into Benfica’s methodology, and offer them long-term development with the goal of bringing them into the first team. This is our mission.”
Once a young talent is identified and signed, they are given a personalized program to follow alongside team training. The scouting network considers numerous parameters, with Dias as an example of someone selected for essential qualities beyond technical skills alone. “Ruben Dias joined Benfica as an average player – his technique was good but not top-tier,” explains Magalhaes. “It was his work ethic that allowed him to reach his current level.”
In addition to technical improvement, the individual programs include medical, physical, and psychological aspects. “We build a plan together with the player, seeking their input on the next development steps, on what they need to work on, whether it’s a technical aspect – like headers or passing – or if they need to improve physically or in game understanding, and this is integrated into the program,” states technical director Pedro Marques.
“Each team has its own program, but it is enriched by individual development sessions – a dedicated time that can be used depending on what the player needs. Some may need to work on technical aspects, so they will focus on that on the field, others in the gym. Everything is closely tied to the needs and priorities that we need to develop at this stage of their journey.”
Competition in Europe and the comparison with Italy
In the 30 European leagues, Ajax leads the ranking, followed by Benfica and Barcelona. As for Italy, none of its youth sectors appear in the special rankings of the 49 global leagues or the 30 European leagues. In contrast, elite clubs like Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Real Madrid are present in both rankings.
If we narrow the analysis to the top 5 European leagues, some Italian clubs stand out for the quality of talent they develop, including Atalanta, Milan, Roma, Juventus, Inter, Fiorentina, Empoli, and Genoa (the latter in last place). Although they fall outside the Top 10 (with Atalanta in thirteenth place), this result can be seen as indicative of a certain difficulty for Italian clubs in mass production, balanced, however, by their ability to nurture high-quality talent. This interpretation, though somewhat consolatory, is supported by the fact that Italy, despite being the third most populous country among the five European nations analyzed (after France and Germany), struggles to compete in volume with countries like Spain, which, with a smaller population, ranks among the leaders in talent development. The contrast between demographic base and talent development outcomes raises questions that warrant a more critical analysis than the simple notion of “few but good.” Even more significant is the absence of clubs from Southern Italy in the rankings, creating a clear geographical divide that further narrows the recruitment pool for youth academies. The data once again show that Italian sports do not fully leverage the resources at their disposal, with a disproportionate focus on certain geographic areas to the detriment of others.
The Top 10 reveals a predominance of Spanish clubs (4), followed by French clubs (3), English clubs (2), and one Dutch club. Benfica, which falls to 38th place in this ranking, demonstrates a different strategy: as admitted by the youth academy’s technical director four years ago, the Portuguese club invests more modest sums in players over the age of 13 compared to wealthier clubs. This confirms that achieving high-level performance requires significant investment, justified by the economic returns from the first team’s sporting successes, revenue from the sale of young talents, and long-term results. In this perspective, expenses for the youth sector should not be viewed merely as costs but rather as strategic long-term investments.
