France is exporting the greatest number  of football players, in the World :

Winter’s Window is knocking at the door  and soon the merry-go round, will be the main topic of discussion and wild supposition. The French footballers’ presence in the Top Five European championships (113), is more consequent,  of any other country. Why ?

The answer could be the high quality of several french Youth Academies. Lyon(33) and PSG (27), are sitting in the fourth and fifth place on the European Table of Youth Academies; seven more french clubs, as Bordeaux and Rennes, are in the first twenty nominated, among the five top European Leagues.

There are also, several other reasons about this massive exodus . While in the other countries as England, Spain, Italy or Germany the youngsters stay and play in the Home League, the french leave for greener pastures, because their clubs can’t afford to pay their wages. Taxes in France are enormous; such as, when a french club pay 100M.euros taxes, in equal situation, an english one pay 25M. and even better, a german only 6M.

Morgan Sneiderlin’s case is a classic; he was 18 when his club, Strasbourg, were relegated in Ligue 2. Not one french club proposed to sign the youngster and pay the million and half euros, price. Southampton, grabbed him and we all know the end of the story.

Letting the best or the most promising talents leave the country, underrated the french league,  thus permitting the lesser leagues as the Russian one, to tail very close and threaten to bypass France on the UEFA Table, anytime.

Playing abroad, is good or bad? There’s no easy answer to that; several youngsters are playing regularly with their clubs, but how many of them have been bought to fill out the bench or even worst, to prevent them sign to a club rival? Shouldn’t they stay for at least a couple of years to their homeleague and forget about Benzema’s and Ribéry’s money and glory?

Maybe that will happen, when agents, family and personal factors, will take care,  first of the player’s well-being, than a well furnished bank account…

So, buy a frenchie, for Christmas ? Here’s some good deals :

 Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon)

Clement Grenier (Lyon)

Geoffrey Kondongbia (Monaco)

Jordan Ferri (Lyon)

Lucas Digne (PSG)

 Wissam Ben Yedder (Toulouse)

Categories: Analysis

Tags: ASSE Monaco, FC Toulouse, Morgan Sneiderlin, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris st Germain