Hajduk Split Youth Academy 3rd Most Prolific in Europe
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Croatian football club Hajduk Split have the 3rd most prolific academy in Europe for producing young talent according to a report from a Swiss-based institute.
The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) conducted a survey of Europe’s most competitive 31 leagues last year and found Ajax Amseterdam to be the most prolific, producing 69 players who had been coached at the Dutch club and went on to play in the world’s biggest leagues.
Four-times European champions Ajax were followed by Partizan Belgrade with 60 players, Hajduk Split with 55 players, and Barcelona with 53 players.
CIES considered a “club-trained player” to be someone who had spent at least three seasons with a team between the ages of 15 and 21.
Dinamo Zagreb were ranked in 14th place in the list with 37 players coached at the club and going onto to play in the top world leagues. NK Osijek in Croatia also featured on the list in 19th place with 35 players, whilst Manchester United were in 17th place with 36 players and Real Madrid in 10th place with 43 players.
