CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report N°54 - April 2020

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CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report n°54 - April 2020

The last step before the big-5 ? Analysis of stepping-stone clubs and countries

Drs Raffaele Poli, Loïc Ravenel and Roger Besson

1. Introduction

The 54th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the career trajectories of players who were present in the clubs of the five major European leagues in March 2020 before the temporary halt of competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample is made up of footballers having played domes- tic league matches since January 2020 or dur- ing each of the two preceding seasons. The analysis focuses on the last club where the footballers played before making their de- but in the big-5 European leagues: the English Premier League, the Spanish Liga, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga and the French Ligue 1. This study allows us to identify clubs and countries that act as a stepping-stone for players to access the world’s wealthiest and most competitive championships.

1 Monthly Report 54 - The last step before the big-5 ? Stepping-stone clubs and countries

2. Starting age Figure 1: age of first match in the big-5, by debut league

A first useful analysis involves the age at the riera ivisin ES 220

time of the first match in one of the five major ia E 2 European leagues. On average, the footballers IA taken into account had their big-5 league de- Serie A 2 but at 21.7 years of age. This value varies be- neslia ER 2

tween 21.3 years of age for footballers having ie FRA 2 played their first match in the French Ligue 1 i-5 leaes 2 and 22.0 for those having started in the Span- ish Liga. Talents get their chances earlier in the French Figure 2: age of first match in the big-5, top division than in any other league of the big- by position 5. The reason for this is linked to the econom- ic model that dominates Ligue 1, which is to oaleepers 24

showcase young players with a view to making eeners 220 profits by transferring them to even wealth- ier championships, in particular the English Midﬁelders 2 Premier League. The excellence of the French Forars 22

training system also explains this finding. otal 2 The position of footballers also influences the age of the career debut in one of the five major European leagues. At one extreme, goal- keepers must wait until 23.4 years of age to play their first match in the big-5. At the other, forwards make their debut at just 21.2 years of age. Defenders are the outfield players who must wait the longest, until 22.0 years of age, to get their first chance to play.

2 Monthly Report 54 - The last step before the big-5 ? Stepping-stone clubs and countries

3. Previous club Figure 3: access networks to the big-5, by type

rainin rootion Reritent A second pertinent analysis consists of identi- fying the last club where the footballers played i-5 2 45 before starting in one of the five major Euro- ia 502 2 pean leagues. In this regard, we have distin-

guished three categories: players from youth ie 4 4 or reserve teams of the debut club [training], those recruited from other clubs [recruitment] neslia 40 44 and those having reached the big-5 through the promotion of their employer team [pro- reier eae 2 4 55 motion]. Serie A 24 22 2 Globally, almost half of the players joined the five major European leagues after having been recruited from a team outside of the big-5. This proportion varies between 63% for play- Figure 4: geography of recruitment ers having made their debut in the Italian Serie A and 38% for those having played their first ational International match in the big-5 in the French Ligue 1 or the i-5 4 2 Spanish Liga. These differences reflect as a negative those reier eae 4 52

observed at the level of the proportion of play- ia 404 5 ers from the youth academies of the teams concerned. In clubs where recruiting is impor- ie 0 tant, training is less so. Thus, half of the players having started in the Liga came directly Serie A 42 5 from the youth sections of the clubs. This pro- neslia portion is also high in Ligue 1 (47.6%), relatively 2 high in the Bundesliga (41.0%), while it is low in the Premier League (29.1%) and the Serie A (24.9%). Important differences according to the league of debut in the big-5 also exist from the point of view of players signed outside of national borders among those having been subject to recruitment from other clubs. At one extreme, almost three quarters of players having made their debut in the German Bundesliga were recruited from foreign clubs, as opposed to 63% at big-5 league level. The low proportion measured in the English Premier League (51.2%) is mainly explained by the considerable number of players having made their debut in this competition after a period on loan in lower division clubs of the country.

3 Monthly Report 54 - The last step before the big-5 ? Stepping-stone clubs and countries

4. Stepping-stone clubs

The principal teams where the big-5 league The principal recruiting clubs vary widely ac- clubs recruited the players present in their cording to the league of debut in the big-5. The squads in March 2020 are regulars of Euro- German Bundesliga teams are particularly fond pean Cups. With 22 footballers having played of helping themselves to players from major there their last match before making the big- clubs of neighbouring countries: RB Salzburg 5 league debut, Ajax is at the top of the list. and FC Basel in particular. The recruitment of Benfica and RB Salzburg complete the podi- French Ligue 1 clubs is more oriented towards um. The Real Madrid and Barcelona B-teams lower division national teams such as Tours, Le also constitute excellent stepping-stones to Havre and Clermont Foot. the big-5, especially towards other Liga clubs.

Figure 5: principal recruiting clubs for big-5 Figure 6: principal recruiting clubs, by debut league teams league

AFC Aa E 22 |||||||||||||||||||||| PREMIER LEAGUE

2 SL Benﬁca (POR) 2 ||||||||||||||||||||| S Einhoven E ||||||||

FC RB Salzburg (AUT) 20 |||||||||||||||||||| 2 Sportin C OR |||||||

4 Real Madrid Castilla (ESP) ||||||||||||||||| ees nite E ||||||

Sporting CP (POR) ||||||||||||||||| LIGA

KRC Genk (BEL) |||||||||||||||| Real Mari Castilla ES |||||||||||||

FC Basel (SUI) 5 ||||||||||||||| 2 SL Benﬁca (POR) 2 ||||||||||||

PSV Eindhoven (NED) 5 ||||||||||||||| FC Barcelona B (ESP) ||||||

FC Porto (POR) 5 ||||||||||||||| LIGUE 1

0 RSC Anderlecht (BEL) ||||||||||||| ors FC FRA |||||||

Club Brugge KV (BEL) ||||||||||| e avre AC FRA |||||||

FC Barcelona B (ESP) ||||||||||| Cleront Foot FRA ||||||

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) ||||||||||| BUNDESLIGA

4 FC København (DEN) 0 |||||||||| FC R Salbr A 5 |||||||||||||||

5 Boca Juniors (ARG) ||||||||| 2 FC asel SI |||||||||||

Leeds United (ENG) |||||||| VfL Bochum (GER) |||||||

Le Havre AC (FRA) |||||||| SERIE A

River Plate (ARG) |||||||| AFC Aa E |||||||

Olympiacos FC (GRE) |||||||| 2 S Salernitana IA ||||||

20 Clermont Foot (FRA) ||||||| inao areb CRO ||||||

Estudiantes La Plata (ARG) |||||||

FC Twente (NED) |||||||

KAA Gent (BEL) |||||||

Tours FC (FRA) |||||||

VfL Bochum (GER) |||||||

4 Monthly Report 54 - The last step before the big-5 ? Stepping-stone clubs and countries

5. Stepping-stone countries

The analysis of countries where footballers The analysis by debut league confirms that the played their last match before the big-5 league international recruitment zones vary consider- debut shows that half of the recruitments ably according to championship. The princi- were carried out from the lower English, Ital- pal foreign countries where footballers played ian, Spanish and French divisions (including their last match before their big-5 league start the return of loaned players who had no prior are Austria for footballers who made their de- experience in the big-5), the Netherlands and but in the German Bundesliga, Portugal for the Portugal. The only two extra-European coun- French Ligue 1 and the Spanish Liga, the Neth- tries in the top 10 are Brazil and Argentina. erlands for the English Premier League and Ar- gentina for the Italian Serie A.

Figure 7: principal recruitment countries for big- Figure 8: principal foreign recruiting countries, 5 league clubs by debut league

Enlan 25 ||||||||||||||||||||||||| 0 PREMIER LEAGUE

2 Italy 0 ||||||||||||||||||||| he etherlans 2 ||||

Spain 5 ||||||||||||||||||| 4 2 eli 4 || 2

4 Frane |||||||||||||||||| 0 ortal ||

5 he etherlans 5 ||||||||||||||| LIGA

ortal 4 |||||||||||||| 5 ortal 25 ||||| 2

eli |||||||||||||| 2 Arentina 2 || 04

rail 0 |||||||||||| 5 rail 0 ||

erany 0 |||||||||||| 5 LIGUE 1

0 Arentina 45 ||||||||| 40 ortal 22 ||||

Siterlan 40 |||||||| 5 eli 20 |||| 5

2 Astria |||||| 2 rail ||

Croatia 2 |||| BUNDESLIGA

4 enar 20 |||| Astria 24 |||| 50

5 rey ||| 2 Siterlan 2 ||||

reee ||| he etherlans ||| 0

olan ||| 5 SERIE A

Serbia ||| 5 Arentina 2 ||||

Ceh Repbli ||| 4 2 rail 22 |||| 2

20 Rssia 4 || 2 he etherlans 2 |||| 0

ray 4 || 2

22 Seen || 0

Sotlan || 0

24 oray | 0

25 raine | 0

5 Monthly Report 54 - The last step before the big-5 ? Stepping-stone clubs and countries

6. Conclusion

The 54th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory shows that a considerable proportion of big-5 league players gain access to these competitions from one of the countries concerned. This happens either from reserve or youth teams of the debut club (39.3% of players), by recruitment from a lower division club in the country (17.8%) or by promotion of the employer team (13.2%). Thus, only around three out of ten players gain access to one of the five major European leagues from a foreign club. The main stepping-stone countries are the Netherlands (75 footballers present in the big-5 in March 2020 played their last match there before making their debut in one of the major championships), Portugal (74) and Belgium (71). Brazil (60) and Argentina (45) are the only two extra-European countries where big-5 league clubs recruit large numbers of players. The analysis shows that despite the interna- tionalisation and globalisation of the footballers’ labour market, access to the big-5 leagues continues via a relatively limited number of competitions and countries. Although 83 national origins were represented in the big-5 in March 2020, the number of countries from where these players were recruited was only 56. This statistic reflects the channelling of mi- gratory flows towards championships whose sporting level, though lower than that of the big-5, is sufficiently elevated to allow players to develop their potential and render themselves attractive to clubs in the major Europe- an leagues. These championships play a stepping-stone role for the careers of the most talented footballers who transit through them.