Top 5 European academies that have produced the most players - is Real Madrid or Barcelona no.1?

#2 FC Barcelona (La Liga)

Barcelona's La Masia

Once dubbed the best football academy on the planet, Barcelona's La Masia is slowly losing its sheen. However, it has still produced enough players to remain at no.2 on the list.

There was a time when at their peak the academy produced enough talents to form what is arguably the greatest team in modern football history.

Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona side in the late 2000s and early 2010s were the only side from Europe's top leagues to win a sextuple in 2008-2009 and most of that squad was built with academy talents such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes and Pedro.

However, The Farmhouse has since failed to produce any noteworthy talents who have stepped up and delivered on a consistent basis for the senior side. The bar has now been set so high that up and coming players have failed to live up to expectations.

Barcelona's philosophy has also changed in recent years with the side preferring to maintain their superiority in Europe by signing big names rather than promote young talents. This has seen La Masia graduates move elsewhere to continue their careers.

In all, 34 La Masia graduates ply their trade in Europe's top five leagues. But what is a cause for concern is that only seven are still at Barcelona or in their employ. The change in philosophy in the senior team was drastically different to the youth setup and that affected the promotion of youth talent.

However, there is hope under Ernesto Valverde who has replaced direct football with the possession football of old that involves high pressing. The idea now is that what is taught to the Barca kids will now hold them in good stead when they graduate and make the step up to the senior team.