Nigeria is the highest African exporter of football talents - Report

 • Nigeria exports more talent than any other African country

 • This is according to CIES football observatory report for May 2021

 • West African rivals, Ghana placed second on the ranking

A CIES football observatory report for May 2021 says Nigeria is the highest exporter of football talents from the African continent.

According to the report, Nigeria 394 players across 145 leagues from 96 national associations worldwide.

This places Nigeria eighth on the global ranking with Ghana placed twelfth and Ivory Coast coming sixteenth.

The top five biggest exporters of players from Africa are Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Cameroon.

The CIES Monthly Report analyses the presence of expatriate footballers in 145 leagues from 96 national associations worldwide.

According to the analysis on the website, Brazil remains the top exporter of football talents.

"Brazil is clearly at the top of the rankings for countries exporting footballers. In total, 1,287 players having grown up in Brazil play in the 145 leagues covered in this report for the year 2021. Brazilians are present in 80 associations out of 98. This reflects the unique role played by Brazil in supplying professional footballers worldwide.

"France (946 expatriates) and Argentina (780) also stand out as exporting nations. In total, more than a fifth of expatriate players originates from Brazil, France and Argentina (21.4%). The principle exporters from other continents are Nigeria for Africa (8th place, 394 expatriates), Japan for Asia (27th, 160), the United States for North America (31st, 142), and Australia for Oceania (42th, 88)."

The sample is made up of players having been fielded or present on the bench in domestic league matches during the current season.

In the nine competitions where it has not been possible to find the list of players fielded, their presence in the squad has constituted a criterion for inclusion.