Source: REUTERS/Manon Cruz
[Saba Sports News] Recently, media ranked clubs from 58 leagues worldwide based on the percentage of playing time for U21 players in domestic leagues over the past three years. In the top five European leagues, Barcelona ranks first with a U21 player playing time ratio of 22.6%, surpassing Lyon (20.7%). However, globally, Barcelona’s U21 player playing time ratio only ranks 17th, with teams like Red Bull Salzburg (37.4%), Basel (25.1%), Ajax (24.5%), and Anderlecht (24.1%) ahead of them. The top-ranked team is Ukrainian club Lviv, with a time ratio of 41.1%. Additionally, the ranking also counted the number of foreign U21 players in each club, with Basel leading with 24 foreign U21 players, followed by Red Bull Salzburg (22) and Nordsjalland (21). Notably, among the top five leagues, Parma ranks first with 16 foreign U21 players. It remains to be seen how Barcelona fans view this ranking.