Footballers in Europe are getting taller according to the latest study from the Professional Football Players’ Observatory (PFPO) but not at Barcelona which has the shortest players. The study is based on a census of 13,108 footballers currently playing for 534 clubs in 36 top division leagues of UEFA member national associations.
Footballers in Europe are getting taller according to the latest study from the Professional Football Players’ Observatory (PFPO) but not at Barcelona which has the shortest players. The study is based on a census of 13,108 footballers currently playing for 534 clubs in 36 top division leagues of UEFA member national associations.
The 80-page report shows that footballers in Europe are becoming older, taller, more mobile, especially internationally, and increasingly trained in a different club from which they play in. Though the percentage of players having migrated internationally during their career is 45.7%, that of footballers playing in the club by which they have been trained is only 23.4%.
Barcelona is the European club with the shortest players, while Inter Milan has the oldest ones (29.6 years). Manchester United has the greatest squad stability (5.7 seasons), while Tottenham has the roster with the most active full internationals (22). A typical club has seven players recruited from abroad and 11 who have migrated internationally during their careers.
61 per cent of players from the Premier League are full internationals. JK Tammeka Tartu in Estonia has the greatest proportion of club-trained players (it is quite some distance from the next population centre) while the club that has trained most players in the sample is Ajax of the Netherlands.