September 16 – The proportion of minutes given to players under the age of 20 across Europe’s 20 leading leagues remained at a record 6% for the 2024/25 season, according to new data released in UEFA’s European Club Talent and Competition Landscape report on Monday.
But the gap between clubs embracing youth and those ignoring it altogether remains stark. Out of 321 top-flight clubs surveyed by UEFA, 22 failed to field a single player aged 20 or under, while Danish side FC Nordsjælland once again set the benchmark with teenagers accounting for 37% of all league minutes.
Belgium’s top division stands out as the most youthful overall, with almost half of all minutes played by footballers aged 23 or younger. Among individual clubs, RC Strasbourg Alsace gave an extraordinary 90% of playing time to players aged 23 or under.
The report also highlights how countries and competitions are enforcing rules designed to boost local player development. In 2024/25, 31 leagues imposed nationality requirements, while 29 mandated association-trained quotas and 11 added club-trained player requirements.
At UEFA competition level, 41% of league-phase minutes were played by locally trained players, with 15% by club-trained or B-list players (CTP+). The Champions League recorded 38% locally trained minutes, compared with 44% in the Europa League and 41% in the Europa Conference League.
The variation between clubs is striking: Shakhtar Donetsk topped the Champions League with 54% CTP+ participation, while RB Leipzig slumped to the bottom with just 1%. Three other clubs recorded under 5%.
Meanwhile, 53% of Champions League clubs were unable to fill a full A-list of 25 players for this season, underlining both the pressures of squad construction and the uneven landscape for developing and integrating local talent.
In the foreword to the report, UEFA President Alexander Ceferin wrote: “The participation at the top level is expanding. Nearly 21,000 players featured in top-division football last season. This report looks at squad regulations and player usage, contributing to ongoing discussions on workload, calendars, competition formats, competitive balance, and transfer rules. The findings highlight how clubs are sharing playing time across larger squads, making full use of substitutions and rotation to manage demands.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]