Portuguese club Benfica has profited the most of its academy for the past 10 years, compared to any team in the world. CIES’ latest report shows the teams who have benefited the most from developing young players and subsequently selling them, as they have received a total of €516 million for their graduates. Dutch giants Ajax come in 2nd position, having sold academy graduates for €376 million across the past decade. French side Lyon is in 3rd place, closely followed by the Champions League record holders Real Madrid. These are the only four football clubs around the globe who have raked in incomes of over €350 million for the past 10 years thanks to their good work with young talents.
Most profitable* academies 🌐
1⃣ @SLBenfica 🇵🇹 €5⃣1⃣6⃣m
2⃣ @AFCAjax 🇳🇱 €3⃣7⃣6⃣m
3⃣ @OL 🇫🇷 €3⃣7⃣0⃣m#RealMadrid 🇪🇸 #Chelsea 🏴 #ASMonaco 🇲🇨 #SportingCP 🇵🇹 #Spurs 🏴 #ManCity 🏴 #Atalanta 🇮🇹
*Graduates' transfer incomes during last decade 🤑
Top 💯 👉 https://t.co/SCjQtDTxcI pic.twitter.com/kZlM2gTalq— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) January 10, 2024
Chelsea, Monaco, Sporting Lisbon, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Atalanta are the remaining top 10 teams. Notably, 3 English teams make the cut, with 2 Portuguese and 2 French.