Belgian football training centers remain a major source of income. This is what emerges from a new study by CIES, the European Football Observatory, which identified the 100 most profitable training clubs in the world.
According to this study, three Belgian clubs are among the world elite: RSC Anderlecht, Club Brugge and KRC Genk. The Jupiler Pro League thus confirms its solid reputation as a training championship.
Important to know: the CIES defines a “training club” as the first club where a player has played for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21 – which therefore means that many players trained in youth teams but left very early are not counted. The amounts also include bonuses and resale percentages, which provides a more realistic picture of income.
Anderlecht still solidly number 1, the Club is back in force
RSC Anderlecht is the undisputed Belgian number 1 and ranks 30th globally. The people of Brussels have earned no less than 203 million euros over the last ten years thanks to the sale of 31 players trained at the club. The transfer of Jérémy Doku weighs heavily in this total.
Club Brugge follows, in 48th place in the world, with 155 million euros for 20 players. The people of Bruges are making a solid comeback and have even done better than Anderlecht over the last five years.
A success linked to the numerous participations in the Champions League which allowed several young people to shine. Players like Charles De Ketelaere have thus generated significant income.
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Genk is also doing very well
KRC Genk also confirms its reputation as a true talent factory. The Limburgers are in 63rd place in the world and have collected 123 million euros thanks to 18 players.
Internationally, it is mainly the Portuguese and Dutch clubs which dominate the ranking. Benfica, Ajax and Sporting Lisbon form the top 3.
The study thus confirms the image of Belgium as a springboard championship, alongside countries like Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina. For Belgian clubs, investing in youth therefore remains one of the major keys to success.
