Super League Ahead of All: Fascinating Stats
According to the latest research by the portal Transfermarkt, the Serbian Superliga is in first place in Europe by a wide margin for the percentage of minutes given to players under the age of 21. In the current season, young talents have spent an incredible 25.91% of the total minutes on fields across our country, which puts us ahead of leagues known for developing talent like the Danish (23%) and Dutch (21.11%).
This fact gains weight when compared to the top European leagues, where young players get significantly fewer opportunities:
Premier League: 9,6%
Serie A: 9,2%
La Liga: 7,4%
CIES confirmed: Serbian midfielders are the most productive in Europe
That it's not just about mere minutes, but about top-level quality, is also confirmed by CIES (the Football Observatory). According to their performance analysis (goals and assists per 90 minutes), the three best young central midfielders in 30 European leagues (outside the „Big Five leagues“) come from Serbian clubs:
Vasilije Kostov (17, Red Star): The leader of the list with an index of 0.69. Giants like Arsenal and Bayern are already vying for this gem, and a €20 million release clause is being speculated.
Ognjen Ugrešić (19, Partizan): Second on the list with a performance rating of 0.53. Partizan is reportedly asking for at least 15 million euros for him, while Manchester United is carefully monitoring the situation.
Vasilije Novičić (17, IMT): Third on the list with an index of 0.45, the player who could become the Traktorists„ record sale.
