OneFootball
OneFootball·16 June 2022
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsOneFootball
OneFootball·16 June 2022
What do the likes of Erling Haaland, Luis DĂaz, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard all have in common?
They all began their careers playing in one of Europeâs so-called âsmaller leaguesâ, thatâs what.
In fact, leagues such as Belgiumâs Jupiler Pro League, Liga Portugal Bwin and the Polish Ekstraklasa are rapidly becoming talent factories for the Premier League, LaLiga, the Bundesliga and others.
But how did they do it? All is explained in this video âŠ
It has been quite the transformation for a nation like Belgium, who revamped their approached to youth football at the turn of the millennium and soon began to reap the rewards.
A directive established by the Polish Football Association in 2019 also changed the game for Polish youth development, while in Austria the likes of Haaland, Sadio ManĂ© and Naby KeĂŻta have all fallen off the Red Bull Salzburg production line in recent years thanks to the clubâs impressive approach to nurturing young talent.
It isnât easy being a smaller fish in a sea full of predators, but some of Europeâs most well-run clubs are those who have embraced their status as talent factories.
All credit to them.