Summary: Youth academies can be a valuable source of players for football clubs.
The greatest youth academies provide organizations with a steady supply of talented young players to utilize or sell.
Athletic Bilbao has long been competitive, despite their policy of only fielding Basque-born players.
Youth academies, when properly set up, can be one of the most valuable resources available to a football team. Regardless of the senior team’s conditions, whether good or terrible, a strong youth academy ensures that these teams have a steady stream of brilliant, young prospects entering the fold each season.
Loyalty is a scarce commodity, especially in the world of modern football. As a result, many clubs who are not in the pantheon of great teams frequently see their best players snatched by larger organizations. However, given the current state of the sport’s finances, a team has the ability to make a huge profit on a player that cost them nothing.
With that stated, it is impossible to deny that there are dozens of fantastic youth academies belonging to a variety of different teams, not just in the Premier League, but around the world. Which 12 are the best in football history?
Ranking Factors
Lists as a concept are subjective. It is very possible that two lists on the same topic will have different entries, depending on the writer’s opinion. With that in mind, this list has been ranked using the following criteria:
Quality of the player – An obvious yet significant factor. How talented are the players that each entrant produces?
Price is vital, especially amid the financial lunacy of the modern game. How much money did each entrant’s talent earn them?
Impact: How important has the presence of youth players been to the success of each entrant?
Longevity – One-club players are becoming increasingly rare, but how long do young players typically stay with each club?
12Leeds United
England
Leeds United may not be a household name, but the club has a long history of developing talent through its junior system. Many of Leeds’ leading lights, including Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer, and Paul Madeley, came through the club’s ranks during Don Revie’s heyday. The club developed all of the key players on that Revie team.
Despite the club’s fluctuating fortunes in recent years, the Whites have consistently developed young talents. Former Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, tenacious midfielder David Batty, England shot-stopper Paul Robinson, and James Milner, who plays for Brighton and Hove Albion, were all raised in West Yorkshire.
Kalvin Phillips and Archie Gray are the two most well-known recent Leeds graduates, with Phillips now on loan at Ipswich Town from Manchester City and Gray, still a teenager, being used as a rotation option by Thomas Frank to develop after playing in multiple positions for Tottenham Hotspur.
11Flamengo
Brazil
Flamengo is one of just two Brazilian clubs, along with Sao Paulo, that have never been demoted from the first flight of Brazilian football. They are one of the best teams in the country, if not the most followed overall.
Flamengo, the eight-time champions of the Brazilian Serie A, has a lengthy history of generating talent. From Brazil international Zizinho in the 1950s to dead ball specialist and legend Zico in the 1970s and 1980s, the Mengao have consistently been able to identify and nurture great players.
In recent years, the Brazilian giants, who have won three Copa Libertadores, have produced players like as Adriano and Julio Cesar, who have both found success with Inter Milan, and Vinicius Junior and Lucas Paqueta, who currently play for Real Madrid and West Ham United, respectively.
10Porto
Portugal
“Porto’s academy prepares players perfectly for playing at the highest level of football.”
Such were the sentiments of Jose Mourinho, the current Fenerbahce manager and former Porto manager, who won the Europa League in 2003 and the Champions League in 2004. Porto has a long and storied history of attracting young talent.
Over the years, Porto has developed players such as Joao Pinto (the right-back who won the 1987 European Cup with the club), Ricardo Carvalho, and Pepe, both of whom have played for Real Madrid. Porto has never forgotten the value of their youth academy, which has produced graduates as young as eleven.
Goalkeeper Diogo Costa is the most well-known Porto alumni. In recent seasons, the club has produced players of comparable or higher quality, such as midfielders Ruben Neves, who now plays for Al Hilal after formerly playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Vitinha, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal’s Fabio Viera.
9Chelsea
England
While not all Chelsea’s academy graduates make it into the first squad, many go on to have successful careers in football. This is what makes the Blues Academy one of the most successful in the world. In August 2025, Burnley signed Armando Broja for £20 million, bringing the club’s total sales of academy players to £250 million in just three years.
Indeed, there are plenty of recognized names playing across Europe, such as Mason Mount, Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Tammy Abraham, Lewis Hall, Nathan Ake, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who have came through the academy in recent years. Declan Rice was also involved in the setup, although he was let go at the age of 14 due to a lack of physicality.
John Terry is possibly the most well-known player to have come through the club’s academy. He is also a prime example of a player who had a significant impact at Chelsea rather than elsewhere. Current captain Reece James will look to follow in his footsteps. Bobby Tambling, Jimmy Greaves, Terry Venables, and Roy Harris are among the other outstanding academy alumni.
8Arsenal
England
On August 23, 2025, before their home game against Leeds United, Arsenal announced to the Emirates audience that they had signed Eberechi Eze. It was an emotional homecoming for the Englishman, who was let go by the club when he was 13.
It was also a memorable day for the club’s Hale End academy, as Eze watched from the stands as graduates Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Max Dowman all contributed to the 5-1 triumph. Notably, Dowman made his Premier League debut, becoming the second youngest player of all time, trailing only colleague Nwaneri.
Those five graduates, along with Eze, have the potential to follow in the footsteps of former Arsenal greats. If somebody has a career as successful as Tony Adams, Liam Brady, Paul Merson, David Rocastle, or Ashley Cole, they will be recognized as English icons in years to come.
7Lyon
France
Olympique Lyonnais has had a difficult run in recent years. In 2025, it was revealed that the team had been temporarily demoted to Ligue 2. Fortunately, they were able to alleviate their catastrophic financial situation, allowing them to remain in Ligue 1, but it demonstrates how difficult things have recently been for the French heavyweights.
Things weren’t always this horrible, though. Throughout the twenty-first century, particularly, the Lyon academy has produced some outstanding athletes. Lyon produced Real Madrid star and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, and current PSG winger Bradley Barcola, who is regarded as one of the world’s top young wingers.
Rayan Cherki, a youthful and dynamic member of the current Lyon team, as well as RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba and former Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, are all graduates of their academy. If the worst happens to Lyon, they will at least have a solid academy to fall back on.
6Real Madrid
Spain
La Fabrica is not as well-known as other youth academies in Spain (more on that later), but Real Madrid’s academy is far stronger than you may expect. Madrid’s emphasis on Galacticos and big names, particularly under Florentino Perez, can make it easy to overlook the club’s robust youth system.
Real has had a solid academy for decades. In the 1980s, “La Quinta del Buitre” was a group of youth players that constantly appeared for Los Blancos during a prosperous period, including Emilio Butragueno, Chendo, and Michel.
In recent years, La Fabrica has produced Iker Casillas, Guti, and Dani Carvajal, as well as Achraf Hakimi and David Silva, who came through Madrid’s development system before finding success elsewhere in the world.
5Benfica
Portugal
Benfica, one of Portugal’s major three teams together with Porto and Sporting Lisbon, has long been a dominant force in Portuguese football’s premier league. To supplement their supremacy, Benfica has built a strong youth academy that consistently produces outstanding players. Having Eusebio on their roster as a kid is enough to propel them up the rankings.
The Benfica academy has also produced players such as Sheu, Rui Bento, and Rui Costa in the past, although the caliber of their abilities has risen significantly in the twenty-first century. In the 2000s, Benfica signed a number of players that would later develop in their junior system, including Gedson Fernandes, Joao Cancelo, and current Manchester City trio Ruben Dias, Ederson, and Bernardo Silva.
Benfica has gained financially from the sale of several of their own players, notably in the last decade or so. Victor Lindelof, Nuno Tavares, and, in especially, the quartet of Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, and Joao Neves have brought the club hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue.
4Athletic Bilbao
Spain
It is extraordinary for a club to have existed for 126 years. It is even more noteworthy that the club accomplished this while exclusively using players who were born and/or raised in the region in question. So, when you consider that Athletic Bilbao has never been demoted from Spanish football’s top level since its founding in 1929, it can only be described as an extraordinary academy.
Bilbao has a tight restriction regarding who players can be fielded by their squad, with no player who is not a Basque local ever wearing their jersey before. Despite a philosophy that, in modern football, could be seen as a disadvantage, Bilbao has thrived, continuously pursuing European involvement in La Liga.
Modern Bilbao greats include the Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico, current captain Oscar de Marcos, midfielder Oihan Sancet, and goalkeeper Unai Simon. They have also sold some of its players for exorbitant prices, such as Aymeric Laporte to Manchester City, Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich, and Kepa Arrizabalaga, currently at Arsenal, to Chelsea for what was and still is a world record fee for a goalkeeper.
3Manchester United
England
If you compare the current number of young graduates on Manchester United’s roster to previous teams, you may notice a minor decline. That is not to diminish the achievements of England internationals Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, but Manchester United’s junior program in previous decades was nothing short of magnificent.
Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Duncan Edwards were among the Red Devils’ alumni under Sir Matt Busby’s tenure. Most notable, however, is the Class of 92, a group of players who all graduated in or around 1992 and would form the foundation of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
Nicky Butt and Phil Neville were two such players, but the Class of ’92’s most renowned foursome was David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Gary Neville, all of whom spent their whole professional careers at Old Trafford except Beckham himself. All contributed significantly to Manchester United’s legendary European treble in 1998/99.
2Ajax
Netherlands
Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp, and Edwin van der Sar. The number of graduates from the famous Ajax youth academy is nearly endless. The Amsterdam club has long been known for producing talented players.
Ajax, led by Cruyff and Michels, was a proponent of the “Total Football” playing philosophy, with a team primarily made up of youth graduates. As the game progressed, Ajax maintained its link to their academy. Their 1990s golden generation, which included Bergkamp and van der Sar, was also heavily reliant on young products, and they helped the team win the Champions League in 1995.
Even in the modern era, where Ajax may not be at their peak, players such as Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Daley Blind, and Ryan Gravenberch have progressed through the ranks, making contributions to the senior team before leaving for pastures new.
1Barcelona
Spain
The building, known in English as “The Farmhouse,” is better recognized around the world as “La Masia,” Barcelona’s legendary youth academy and the top young academy in the world of football. Barcelona is inextricably tied with La Masia because the players it produces frequently go on to star in the senior team.
Former Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nunez proposed the idea, and La Masia has since served as an exceptional source of talent for the Catalan giants, with players such as Pique, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes, and Pep Guardiola all rising through the ranks before making their first team debuts.
The greatest of the best, however, have to be Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi, three players who played critical roles in helping Guardiola create Barcelona as the best team in the world during its peak. The aforementioned trio finished in the top three spots of the 2010 Ballon d’Or race, the first time this has happened, which is nothing short of a testimonial to a fantastic academy.
The 12 Best Academies in Football History
Rank
Name
Country
Notable Academy Players
1.
Barcelona
Spain
Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol, Pep Guardiola, and Cesc Fabregas
2.
Ajax
The Netherlands
Johann Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Edwin van der Sar, Marco van Basten and Frenkie de Jong
3.
Manchester United
England
David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Duncan Edwards, and Marcus Rashford
4.
Athletic Bilbao
Spain
Inaki Williams, Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte, Javi Martinez, and Kepa Arrizabalaga
5.
Benfica
Portugal
Manuel Rui Costa, Joao Felix, Eusebio, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva
6.
Real Madrid
Spain
Emilio Butragueno, Iker Casillas, Guti, Chendo, Michael
7.
Lyon
France
Alexandre Lacazette, Karim Benzema, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki and Castello Lukeba
8.
Arsenal
England
Ashley Cole, Tony Adams, Bukayo Saka, Liam Brady, Paul Merson, Martin Keown, David Rocastle, and Eberechi Eze
9.
Chelsea
England
John Terry, Bobby Tambling, Jimmy Greaves, Terry Venables, Roy Harris, Declan Rice, and Reece James.
10.
Porto
Portugal
Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Diogo Costa, Ruben Neves and Vitinha
11.
Flamengo
Brazil
Zico, Vinicius Junior, Adriano, Julio Cesar, and Lucas Paqueta
12.
Leeds United
England
Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer and Paul Madeley
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