Benfica's Academy Leads Youth Development, Candidates Vow to Maintain Success
Chelsea and Barcelona lead the way in academy value, with Benfica closely following. The candidates for Benfica's presidency, João Noronha Lopes and Rui Costa, have emphasized the importance of harnessing young talent and upgrading facilities at Benfica Campus.
Benfica's Seixal academy has been crowned the world's top youth development center by CIES Football Observatory. It boasts 253 players generating a combined market value of €825 million, placing it third behind Chelsea (€1.08 billion) and Barcelona (€1.3 billion).
CIES also found 93 Benfica-trained players spread across nearly fifty leagues, outpacing Barcelona and River Plate. However, neither candidate has offered concrete plans to further develop young talent. Rui Costa is closely tied to coach Bruno Lage, while João Noronha Lopes refused to surrender control over his pick to replace Mário Branco.
Benfica's academy is a powerhouse in youth development, but the candidates for presidency must present detailed plans to maintain and improve this success. The future of Benfica's youth division and the facilities at Benfica Campus hang in the balance as the election approaches.
