Manchester City have enjoyed a terrific past 10 years or so, with the club winning many trophies – but one statistic about the club in the last 10 years that has come to light is seriously impressive.
City have been a dominant force in English football now for a while, with Pep Guardiola overseeing a massively successful period after taking over from Manuel Pellegrini in 2016.
The Spaniard has City playing some of the best football ever seen in English football, and fans have been absolutely treated in recent years.
Obviously, the takeover back in 2008 has played a huge part in all the success.
Some truly outstanding players have graced the Etihad Stadium since ADUG came in.
But while money has been spent on top players, there has also been heavy investment into the club’s infrastructure – and the club’s academy has been very well taken care of…
Manchester City now have the ninth-most profitable academy in the world
It has been reported by CIES Football Observatory this morning that Manchester City currently have the ninth most profitable academy in the world.
This is based on the transfer incomes generated by academy graduates in the transfer market.
Perhaps inevitably, Benfica sit at the top having generated €516 million (£444 million) since 2014. The Portuguese giants are famous for producing players that go on to fetch huge fees.
Ajax are next having generated €376 million (£323 million). Like Benfica, they have long been seen as a club that unearth serious talents that go to become stars in the game.
City come in at ninth on the list, having made €254 million (£219 million) from their academy since 2014.
Interestingly, City’s academy has been much more fruitful in recent years. CIES report that from 2019-2023, City made €205 million (£176 million).
City’s academy will soon move higher up the list
It is very impressive to see City breaking into the top 10 for profitable academies.
Most of the clubs ahead of City have had their academies established long before, but it is only a matter of time before City start to move up.
We have seen in the last couple of summers that clubs are clamouring to snap up talent from the CFA. The youth teams at City have been very successful, and of course, we are starting to see some break through to the first-team, such as Phil Foden, Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb, and Cole Palmer, who was sold to Chelsea for £42.5 million.
Players like Shea Charles, James Trafford, Carlos Borges, Pedro Porro, Ko Itakura, Lukas Nmecha, Jack Harrison and Douglas Luiz have all been sold im recent years for impressive fees.
City have been a dominant club in England now for some time, and it is little wonder young players on their books are commanding big fees.
