La Masia, the academy of the Spanish giant Barcelona, tops the list of academies exporting the most talents to the top five leagues in the current season, proving its superiority over other European academies. According to a report by the International Centre for Sports Studies, cited by the 'Jefe Deportivo' website, 40 graduates of Barcelona's academy are active in Europe's top leagues, playing a total of 25,076 minutes this season. The combined value of La Masia's stars is estimated at €3.48 billion, with 10 of them currently in the squad managed by German coach Hans Flick. Barcelona's traditional rival, Real Madrid, finished second with 35 players who logged 29,439 minutes. Paris Saint-Germain came third with 31 players who played 18,455 minutes. French club Rennes ranked fourth with 29 players (22,599 minutes), while Dutch Ajax was fifth with 27 players (16,255 minutes). Chelsea, the English club renowned for buying stars rather than creating them, placed sixth with 25 players who played 17,723 minutes. Spanish club Real Sociedad came seventh with 24 players (15,115 minutes). Positions eighth through tenth were shared by three English clubs: Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal, each with 22 players. United's players logged 15,889 minutes, City's 'sky blues' played 15,034 minutes, and Arsenal's 'gunners' played 14,427 minutes. However, Manchester City among the three retained the most academy products, specifically the trio of Rico Lewis, Nico Orelli, and Phil Foden.
