This Monthly Report presents the method developed by the CIES Football Observatory to rank players globally by combining their playing time with the sporting level of the teams for which they played or the competitions they participated in. The so-called “experience capital” method is particularly useful to scout young players.

The 69th Monthly Report analyses the data from the annual census carried out since 2009 by the CIES Football Observatory on players from 31 European top men divisions. It first presents the changes observed on a demographic level and then highlights the clubs that stand out the most from league rivals from the point of view of age, the presence of club-trained players, that of expatriates, as well as squad stability.

Since last summer, the CIES Football Observatory has had the pleasure of working with match data produced by SkillCorner. This Monthly Report focuses on the distance covered by players during matches played during the 2020 or 2020/21 seasons in 31 competitions from both Europe and America. The study analyses the distances covered according to speed and present comparisons with regard to leagues, team results and player position.

This report analyses the sums paid in transfer indemnities by big-5 league teams (chapter “investments”), the clubs and championships who benefited from these investments (chapter “receipts”), as well as the net balances for both big-5 league teams and the five major European leagues themselves (chapter “net spending”). The period covered stretches from the winter 2012 transfer window to the summer 2021 one.

This report studies the changes occurred during the past five years in ten of the principal women’s leagues worldwide from the aspect of the players’ age, the percentage of expatriate footballers in teams, as well as that of full international players. It notably shows the growing influence of the major European men’s clubs in the sphere of women’s football.

This Monthly Report analyses the presence of expatriate footballers in 145 leagues from 96 national associations worldwide. On the 1st of May 2021, despite the pandemic, the number of expatriates increased by 639 in comparison to the same date in 2020: from 13,025 to 13,664. This increase in difficult circumstances confirms that the internationalisation of the footballers’ labour market is a well-established process.

This report analyses different indicators regarding the fluidity in matches played since the 1st of July 2019 in a total of 37 European competitions thanks to the data provided by InStat. The study notably reveals that the fluidity of the game depends on geographical and cultural logics.

This report presents the approach developed by the CIES Football Observatory to comparatively assess the sustainability of squads based on three elements: players’ age, the length of their stay in their employer club and the duration of their contracts. The study covers the squads of the 98 teams from the five major European championships.

This Report presents the second CIES Football Obaervatory analysis on the demographic profile of players and teams of four Latin American leagues: the Brazilian, Argentinean, Mexican and Chilean top divisions. The study comprises 2,260 footballers having played domestic league minutes during the second semester of the 2020 calendar year for one of the 80 clubs from the competitions surveyed.

This Monthly Report presents the principal results of a questionnaire survey carried out between December 2020 and January 2021 to know the opinion of fans on the professional game. It focuses on the following thematic areas: match events, scheduling, spectacle, access to the spectacle, revenues, inequalities, abuses, gender and transfers.

The 60th Monthly Report presents the methodology of the CIES Football Observatory for the comparison of the technical performance of players in a statistically objective manner and applies it to footballers in 35 domestic leagues of UEFA member associations. The data used was produced by the company InStat. It refers to the 2020/21 season (or 2020 for the summer championships).

The 59th Monthly Report presents the findings of the annual census carried out since 2009 on players present in the clubs from 31 top division European male leagues. For 2020, the sample is composed of 12,088 footballers from 479 teams. The study reveals that the pandemic strengthened the gaps in the profile of players according to the sporting and economic level of clubs.

Since the propagation of COVID, speculations on the consequences of the virus on the professional football economy have been widespread. For the first time, this report studies the real impact of the pandemic on the footballers’ transfer market. The analysis covers three areas: the volume of investments, the typology of transfers (permanent, temporary, free, paid, etc.) and the price of players.

The manner in which people live and practice football throughout the world is a good indicator of country-specific features. This Monthly Report compares 87 top divisions worldwide from the point of view of the number of yellow and red cards given by referees during matches played between the 2015/16 (or 2016) and 2019/20 (or 2020) seasons.

This Monthly Report analyses the characteristics of the coaches at the head of 1,646 teams from 110 leagues in 79 countries worldwide. The study covers three aspects: the age, the length of stay in the club managed and the origin (national/expatriate). The Report also presents the rankings of the most represented origins among expatriate coaches.

The 55th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the contribution of national associations worldwide from the point of view of the production of professional players. Independently of the modalities of calculation, Brazil emerges as the principle worldwide power. France and Spain complete the podium.

The 54th Monthly Report analyses the career paths of players present in March 2020 in the five major European leagues. The study focuses on the last club where the footballers played before making their debut in the big-5. It identifies clubs and countries that act as a stepping-stone for players to access the world’s wealthiest and most competitive championships.

Since 2010, the CIES Football Observatory has been at the forefront of pioneering work in developing a scientific method to estimate the transfer values of footballers based on sums previously paid for players with similar characteristics. This report goes through the variables included in the statistical model developed, reveals the predictive power of the latter and presents several applications of the approach put into place.

This Monthly Report analyses the technical performance data collected by our partners OptaPro for the 2019 regular season of the Major League Soccer (MLS) of the United States and Canada. The study shows that the style of football played in the MLS differs from that of the five major European leagues in two principal aspects: the pressing on opponents and the aerial game.

This report turns its eye exclusively to Latin America. Based on the model of the annual study carried out since 2009 for 31 European leagues, it compares four top division Latin American championships from the point of view of the demographic characteristics of players: the Brazilian Serie A, the Argentinean Superliga, the Chilean Primera División and the Mexican Liga MX. The study covers 79 clubs and 2,015 footballers

The 50th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the make-up of the 42 teams having always been present within the five major European leagues over the course of the decade 2010. Although money is more than ever a key factor, squad stability stemming from good strategic planning and the ability of clubs to get the best out of the talents trained in their youth academies remain crucial success criteria even in the today’s hyper-commercial and globalised environment

The 49th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses clubs from 31 European top divisions from the standpoint of the demographic characteristics of their players for the period from 2009 to 2019. Particularly noticeable between 2009 and 2018, the trend in the European labour market for footballers towards less stability and a greater international mobility has declined over the past year

The 48th Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the evolution of the number and characteristics of footballers having played on loan for teams of the five major European championships during the last decade. It notably shows that clubs from these leagues take more and more players on loan: from 2.62 per club and season between 2009 and 2014, to 3.09 between 2014 and 2019 (+18%). In 2018/2019, footballers on loan played a record number of minutes within the big-5: 11.5%.

Since its creation in 2005, the CIES Football Observatory has been monitoring the transfer of players through information published by clubs and the media. This Monthly Report analyses the sums paid in transfer indemnities by big-5 league teams, the clubs and championships who benefited from these investments, the net balance sheets for both teams and leagues, as well as inflation observed year by year since 2010.