The best football academies: 5 places where million-dollar talents are born

In recent years, football academies have been increasing all over the world. They are an interesting investment opportunity for founders and give players and their families hope that they will become the next Maradona or Messi. However, the most popular are established youth academies with a long tradition that operate at elite world clubs. What are the most famous ones?

Ajax Academy

Although the Amsterdam club is no longer among the top 10 in the world, the fame of its youth academy cannot be surpassed by anything. On the contrary, the Ajax Academy has existed since the beginning of the 20th century and since 2010 has been considered the best place to develop new talents . However, the admission conditions are very strict and priority is given to the Dutch, which is why you will find so many of them among foster children . One of them was Johan Cruyff , one of the most famous footballers of the 70s.

In total, the academy has a capacity for around 200 students, and scouts look for the best talents as young as 6 years old. In the training itself, the complexity and facilities that are often found in Amsterdam by the whole family of small football players are important.

La Masia

Another alma mater of football is the famous Spanish academy La Masia, founded in Barcelona in 1979. And it was helped to build by none other than former student and Ajax player Johan Cruyff. His goal was to imitate the training methods of his home club, which relied on its own talents instead of buying players.

So in the 2012 season, it really happened that all 11 players on the Barcelona pitch had the same academy behind them. Three of them even became finalists of the prestigious Ballon d'Or competition , namely Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and the famous Lionel Messi , who is also known outside the football world. La Masia thus received an award from FIFA and became one of the best youth football academies in the world.

Bayern Munich

Although the German club is not afraid of recruiting talented players from its competitors, it also has its own award-winning academy . At least in the youth category, he does not have to rely on the transfer market. The club was founded as early as 1902, but its football academy celebrated its greatest success only in recent decades, when it trained such stars as Thomas Muller or Bastian Schweinsteiger .

Investments in the development of the academy are in the order of tens of millions and its annual budget is three million euros . Thanks to this, it can offer a place for up to 180 footballers, with whom approximately 40 employees work. But all small talents have a chance. The academy organizes an event for them every year, where up to 500 children from 6 to 11 years old can apply. An expert jury will then select the seven best of them.

Manchester United

England also has its best football academy, which has already achieved a number of successes. It belongs to the well-known club Manchester United and its training complex is located in the Carrington district, where it is hidden behind a two-meter high fence from the scouts of rival clubs . This strategy obviously works because its most famous graduates include David Beckham himself .

Currently, young footballers from the age of 8 can apply for registration , and those who succeed attend one of the best football academies until they are 18. At the same time, they play in world youth competitions and have already managed to win the cup several times. They thus attract more and more viewers and new talents.

Sporting Lisbon Academy