CIES: Real & Barça top in terms of trained players who have played in European Top 5 since 2005-06

Since the 2005-06 season, 166 players trained at Real Madrid CF's (LALIGA EA Sports) academy have played, or are still playing, in one of the European Top 5 leagues, more than any other club over the period, according to the CIES Football Observatory's "Weekly Post" published on 26/02/2025.

The Madrid club, whose academy graduates also racked up the most minutes played (1,078,118), is ahead of FC Barcelona (156 players trained) and Paris Saint-Germain (111, Ligue 1 McDonald's).

In terms of minutes played, Olympique Lyonnais (812,385 minutes played by 103 players trained) is in third place behind the two Spanish clubs.

In terms of the percentage of minutes played by these players with the clubs that trained them, three other Spanish teams occupy the top three places: Athletic Club Bilbao (66%), RC Celta de Vigo and Real Sociedad (58%).

• "Training clubs are defined as the first teams where footballers have played for at least three years between the seasons of their fifteenth and twenty-first birthdays (seasons of these birthdays included)," explained CIES.
• The Observatory has…