CIES: Brazil, France and Argentina exported the most football players in 2019

With 1,600 expatriate players in the 141 leagues of the 93 countries included in the sample, Brazil tops the list of football player exporting countries in 2019, followed by France (1,027) and Argentina (972), according to the Weekly Post from the CIES Football Observatory, published on 20/04/2020. These three countries accounted for 22.5% of expatriate players in 2019.

France is the most represented country in the Premier League (41 players), the Bundesliga (28) and LaLiga Santander (25). With 21 representatives, France exports the second most players to the Serie A TIM, behind Brazil (33).

In the Top 20 countries with the most expatriate players in 2019, UEFA is the most represented confederation with 12 countries (see below), ahead of CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Nigeria is Africa's biggest exporter (399 players overseas), while Japan is Asia's biggest exporter (161).