The footballers’ labour market pays less and less attention to national borders. The percentage of expatriate players in teams tends to increase each year. The proportion of footballers who migrate abroad during their career is higher than ever.
At the same time, the age of the first international migration is decreasing. The most promising players are sought after by foreign clubs from a very early age. An increasing number of players go abroad before the age of 18.
This paper[1] analyses the evolution observed since 1995 within the five major European championships (English, Spanish, German, Italian and French), as well as for 26 other top division leagues of UEFA member associations since 2009.
Trends
Over the last twenty years, the percentage of players from the five major European leagues having migrated over the course of their career has more than doubled. In 1995, 24.1% of footballers in these championships already had some experience abroad. In 2015, the percentage had increased to 55.2%. For 31 European top division leagues, the percentage of migrant players has also increased from 46.3% in 2009 to 52.8% in...
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