The research team at the CIES Football Observatory is pleased to announce the release of a new educational video unveiling the regions in the five countries hosting Europe’s top leagues (England, Germany, France, France, Italy, and Spain) that develop the most elite football players.

The Île-de-France region is the largest source of talent, not only in absolute terms but also relative to the size of its population.

In fact, half of all French players competing in top division leagues around the world were born in this region, even though the latter accounts for only one-fifth of the population.

Other metropolitan areas have a football ecosystem that allows them to develop even more elite players than their population size would suggest: London, Berlin, and Lombardy, in particular. In Spain, three regions stand out: Navarre, Catalonia, and the Basque Country.

>>> Watch the video

About the CIES Football Observatory

The CIES Football Observatory is a research group created in 2005 within the Swiss-based Centre International d’Étude du Sport (CIES). It specialises in the statistical analysis of football, in particular in the areas of demographics, transfer values and performance (technical, tactical, physical).

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About the CIES

The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) is an independent study centre located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It was created in 1995 as a joint venture between the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the University of Neuchâtel, the City and State of Neuchatel.

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