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A youth academy is sometimes referred to as the lifeline of a football club. Different clubs use their academies in different ways, but it is a common theme across clubs that they want excellence in the academy.
It is always a dilemma, especially for the bigger clubs, on how the academy is best used. Do they actually use it as a firm pathway into the first team? Is the academy only there so that the best talents can be harnessed before eventually being sold?
Manchester United and Chelsea's current first-team squad boasts several youth academy graduates
Using the youth academy, against spending big money to sign the best players has always been a dilemma for the biggest clubs in the world. Manchester United, for example, recently marked 4000 consecutive games in which they have had an academy player in their matchday squad.
Others, like Chelsea for example, have developed several excellent players from their academy, who are now scattered around the best clubs in Europe.
In this article, we take a look at the top 5 best youth academies in European football right now.
#5 KRC Genk | Belgium
The youth academy of KRC Genk is renowned for producing some of the best talents in Europe, before selling them to the continent's bigger club at a higher price.
In some ways, Genk's business model is centred around how they use their youth academy, and how they receive big transfer sums for their players.
The latest in an illustrious line of young players to make the first breakthrough at Genk before getting sold for a decent amount of money was Sander Berge. The Norwegian was sold to Sheffield United in January 2020, for a reported sum for £30m.
Before Berge, the likes of Leandro Trossard and Christian Benteke also came through from the youth academy at Genk. Trossard was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion last summer for around £15m.
Currently, Belgium U21 captain Bryan Heynen, who plays for the first-team, also came through the academy ranks.
Arguably the biggest product of the Genk academy, though, is Kevin De Bruyne. The 2019-20 Premier League Player of the year came through the ranks at Genk, before making a £7m move to Chelsea in 2012.
Other notable youth players from Genk to have made the big step across Europe include Liverpool striker Divock Origi and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
#4 Chelsea FC | England
Up until the takeover by Roman Abramovich in 2003, the only real notable Chelsea star from the youth academy was club legend, John Terry. However, in his revamp of the entire club, Abramovich has also overseen a complete shake-up of the youth academy, to an extent where it is now easily one of the best in England, if not Europe.
Between 2014 and 2018, the Chelsea U18 team won five straight FA Youth Cup titles, in which time some of the players in Frank Lampard's current squad made their first steps in football.
The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Reece James have all come through the academy ranks at Chelsea. They've been a part of the teams which have been a force at the youth level.
However, before Lampard's appointment, Chelsea have been notoriously known for the number of players they have out on loan around Europe, and not using their academy talent well enough for the first team itself.
A big example of that is Mario Pasalic, who joined Chelsea as a 19-year-old in 2014 but didn't play a single first-team game. He has had spells out on loan at Elche, Spartak Moscow, AC Milan, Monaco and Atalanta, before finally being sold this summer to Atalanta.
#3 Athletic Bilbao | Spain
For a club that has a strict policy of signing only players from the Basque regions of Spain and France for its first team, the youth academy is the single most important entity that sustains the existence of Athletic Bilbao as a football club.
In recent times, Bilbao have produced some outstanding players who have gone on to big clubs in the rest of Europe, and won the biggest trophies available to win.
Javi Martinez has won a host of trophies in Germany with Bayern Munich. Ander Herrera has also won a few things since his move to Manchester United and subsequently PSG.
But the success story of Athletic Bilbao comes from how seamlessly they manage to replace their departing players with talents coming out of their youth academy.
For example, Kepa Arrizabalaga left for Chelsea for a world-record fee in the summer of 2018. But Bilbao have hardly felt the loss, with Unai Simon stepping up brilliantly and now even staking a claim to be in the Spanish National Team.
The likes of Iker Muniain and Inaki Williams still remain with the Athletic Bilbao first team and are their best players right now.
#2 FC Barcelona | Spain
When the talk of the youth academies around the world arises, the one name that never fails to get a mention is La Masia. The youth academy of Barcelona has been the pillar on which the golden era of the club under Pep Guardiola was built. And it has carried on to the current squad as well.
Lionel Messi will always remain La Masia's crown jewel. But what it can take even more credit for is producing the bulk of the squad of players that so wonderfully enabled Messi during the reigns of Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
Xavi and Iniesta, who were the bedrock of the Guardiola side, came through the La Masia system. In 2012, La Masia had its proudest moment, when Tito Vilanova named a starting XI entirely consisting of players from La Masia.
Even in the current team, La Masia graduates Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati have made a significant impact, especially the young winger Fati. Puig came to the limelight under Quique Setien, and will also be hoping to make his big step up when Ronald Koeman takes charge for the new season.
#1 AFC Ajax | Netherlands
The Dutch giants have always taken pride in their ability to produce talents from their youth academy to play for the first team, ever since the days of Johan Cruyff.
The Ajax production line really has not shown any signs of stopping any time soon. Their scouting network at the youth level ensures that their geographic reach is not just restricted to Amsterdam or the Netherlands. This enables them to have a wider reach of players to bring in and develop.
The 2018-19 run into the Champions League semi-final was built on Ajax academy players, as well. The likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, and Donny van de Beek were also joined by the more experienced and older academy graduates like Daley Blind and Klaas Jan Huntelaar to produce a fabulous run.
Ajax's fairytale journey saw them knock out European heavyweights like Juventus and Real Madrid were knocked out.
Ajax's inability to keep their biggest youth academy stars at the club, though, does not prove any kind of hindrance. The robustness of their youth system mostly ensures that they are able to replace their outgoing stars with fresh academy players at all times.
Notable Mentions - Manchester United & Liverpool
Manchester United have gone more than 4000 games now with a youth academy player in the matchday squad for the first team. In the current squad, the likes of Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood played a massive part in the club finishing third in the Premier League, scoring 17 and 10 Premier League goals respectively.
For Liverpool, the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold as the best right-back in the world was a big testimony the work done at the youth academy. In Neco Williams, Rhian Brewster, and Curtis Jones, the club also has a few more youngsters of whom Jurgen Klopp expects big things.
