10 cities that produce the best footballers in the world: London, Paris, Sao Paulo…
Everybody knows that Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid are among the world’s best football teams in April 2024 – but which cities are producing the best footballers?
Passionate football cities such as Buenos Aries, Liverpool, Marseille, Rome and Zagreb all miss out on the top 10, hinting at the sheer depth of talent produced in other locations.
Using data from Transfermarkt, we’ve analysed which cities have produced the players with the highest combined market value. Some of the results are surprising…
10. Amsterdam – €379million
It’s no surprise to see Amsterdam ranking among the top ten cities; the Dutch metropolis has always been a hotspot for football talent going back to the 1960s.
The current standout example is Xavi Simons, who holds the title of the city’s most valuable player with a market value of €80million.
Other notable talents from Amsterdam include Jeremie Frimpong, who has had an outstanding season with Bayer Leverkusen, and Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch.
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9. Birmingham – €384million
England’s second city earns a spot on this list primarily because of Jude Bellingham; born in nearby Stourbridge, the Real Madrid midfielder is worth a staggering €180million.
But other ballers like Jack Grealish, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Jacob Ramsey have also emerged from the vicinity of Birmingham in recent years.
With Aston Villa also on the up, the city’s footballing reputation is enjoying something of a renaissance.
8. Manchester – €436million
The second of three English cities to make the top 10, Manchester is known around the world for its football – and the number of talented players to be produced there.
City’s Phil Foden is valued at a cool €115million, while United’s Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are also highly rated by Transfermarkt.
Add that to the plethora of Mancunians in England’s lower leagues and the reasons behind the city’s position among the global heavyweights become clear.
7. Lisbon – €536million
Lisbon has always provided Benfica and Sporting Club with a conveyor belt of quality talent and some of the best Portuguese players in 2024 originate from their country’s capital.
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is the standout name, valued at €68million, and other talents include the mercurial Rafael Leao, PSG’s Nuno Mendes and Joao Palhinha of Fulham.
6. Rio de Janeiro – €547million
Rio de Janeiro has a rich history of nurturing incredible football talent, with recent standout Bruno Guimaraes making waves for Newcastle United since his arrival in 2022.
Guimaraes boasts a market value of €85million, making him one of Brazil’s most regarded players.
Other notable names hailing from the iconic city include Premier League duo Douglas Luiz and Mathues Nunes, although the latter represents Portugal internationally.
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5. Montevideo – €582million
Uruguay may only have a population of three million, but the South American nation is one of the most proficient in producing international-quality footballers in the world.
Legends such as Enzo Francescoli, Alvaro Recoba and Diego Forlan have all hailed from the Uruguayan capital.
Of the current crop, Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde is the highest valued at €100million and other notable stars include Manuel Ugarte of PSG and Napoli defender Mathias Olivera.
4. Madrid – €599million
While the absence of Barcelona from our list may raise a few eyebrows, the absence of Madrid would’ve caused a crisis of confidence for the Spanish FA.
The capital of Spain, Madrid is home to two elite Champions League sides in Real and Atletico and was the birthplace of current stars such as Rodri, Achraf Hakimi (who now plays for Morocco) and Marcos Llorente.
3. Sao Paulo – €622million
The second Brazilian city on the list, and the biggest in South America overall, Sao Paulo is the definition of a footballing hotbed.
Neymar hails from the metropolis, despite his valuation dropping in recent years meaning the highest-rated player from Sao Paulo is €60million Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus.
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2. Paris – €688million
Considering the success of the France national team over the past 10 years, Paris’ lofty position of second should surprise nobody.
The €180million-rated Kylian Mbappe hails from Paris, as does Barcelona defender Jules Kounde and Kingsley Coman of Bayern Munich. And that’s without factoring in legends like Thierry Henry, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.
Thirty players at the 2022 World Cup were born in the French capital, representing nine different nations, underlining its status as one of the most productive talent factories anywhere.
1. London – €1.6billion
London claims the top spot for producing the best footballers based on market value, according to Transfermarkt.
Players like Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane make significant contributions to this world-beating total, which trumps its nearest competitor by almost €1billion.
Other ballers from the British capital include Declan Rice, Reece James, Raheem Sterling and Eberechi Eze.