In the world of football, the academy is not only a cradle for future stars, but also a gold mine for major clubs. Recently, the CIES Football Observatory in Switzerland released a list that brightened up the value of this gold mine. Imagine a player between the ages of 15 and 21 who has been with the club for more than three seasons and is the protagonist of this wealth list. Looking at this list, I can't help but sigh: football is such a dream come true.
LiverpoolwithAston Villa, the two teams ended with 19.9 billion euros and 20.3 billion euros in revenue ranked 20th and 19th on the list. When it comes to Raheem Sterling and Jake Grealish, they are not only the pride of the team, but also the success stories of the Academy. Raheem Sterling moved from Queens Park Rangers to Liverpool and eventually joined Manchester City as the most expensive English player in history. Grealish's story is more of an inspirational script, from his journey to Aston Villa at the age of six, to captaining the team to promotion to the Premier League, to becoming the record holder for transfer fees in the UK, all of which prove the value of the academy system.
Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad, clubs that are also at the top of the list due to the successful operation of the academy. Paris Saint-Germain isn't just because of the big names, their academy has also produced countless excellent players, such as Arnold Kalimundo, a name that may not be familiar to many fans, but broke the record with a transfer fee of 20 million euros. Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz, one is an important player for Chelsea and the other is the new hope for German football. Real Sociedad has a unique strategy to transform academy players into the capital and competitive power of the team.
From this list, we can see that the academy is not only a place to develop players, but also an important part of the club's economic income. It's a place where players hone their skills and clubs discover future stars, while also reaping huge financial rewards. It's a win-win game, with players achieving their professional dreams and clubs making a profit through training and transfers.
However, the bitterness and effort behind it are beyond our sight. Every young player who has worked hard in the academy dreams of one day being able to stand on the world stage. Every step of their growth is inseparable from the careful guidance of their coaches and the unlimited support of their families. For clubs, building and maintaining a successful youth system requires a huge investment and long-term planning.
In this money-rich world of football, the story of the Academy brings us a touch of warmth. It's not just a game about money, it's a story about dreams, hard work, and growth. This list is not only a display of numbers, but also a tribute to the academy staff and young players who have worked hard behind the scenes. Let's look forward to these grassroots heroes being able to shine more brightly on the football stage.