Top 5 European academies that have produced the most players - is Real Madrid or Barcelona no.1?

#4 Athletic Club Bilbao (La Liga)

Athletic Club Bilbao has a policy of recruiting only Basque players

21st century football is now all about the glitz and glamour of the transfer market as players' market value and inflation skyrockets to heights unknown. But in the north of Spain, specifically Basque country, Athletic Club continue to shun the modern status quo and continue to thrive within their own means.

Bilbao's youth academy, also known as the Cantera, is known for producing talents by the dozen and the club's unique policy ensures that nobody else gets to play for the club.

Football is a global game with players from across the globe moving to Europe's top teams but one look at the Athletic squad tells you that they do not have a single foreigner (unless they are Basque themselves).

"Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación." (With homegrown talent and local support, you don’t need for imports).

Athletic's squad is entirely made up of Basque players. It's a fact that they are very proud of. While other clubs have struggled with a similar policy before abandoning it, Athletic are one of three clubs never to be relegated from Spain's La Liga - the other two being Real Madrid and Barcelona, of course.

The club is all about sticking to tradition and preserving the identity of the Basque people. So to compete in La Liga, the youth products understandably have to be of high quality.

In all, there are 29 Athletic Club Bilbao cantera players in Europe's top five leagues. 20 of them are still at the club.