From Barcelona to River Plate, Sporting to Santos and beyond, several clubs have junior set-ups to boast about, as Goal takes a look over their record
Before Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and the rest of the world's elite players begin winning trophies, they've all got to start somewhere, with all three modern greats coming through some of the game's finest youth academies.
Messi was a product of Barcelona's much vaunted La Masia, Ronaldo came through the Academia Sporting in his native Portugal, and Neymar was fast-tracked to glory through Santos in South America.
But just which clubs can lay claim to having produced the finest number of players in their academy system? Goal takes a look over the record of some of the most respected birthing grounds in the last 30 years of footballing history.
Academia Sporting (Sporting CP)
While Ronaldo remains the obvious star to pick out of the Portuguese side's system, they've produced not only stars for their own national team but internationals for three other countries too, with England among them.
Notable graduates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Dier, Paito, Houssine Kharja, Luis Figo, Ricardo Quaresma, Rui Patricio.
AFC Ajax Youth Academy (Ajax)
The Dutch heavyweights will be forever associated with their shining star Johan Cruyff, but they have delivered dozens of top-level talents over the years, including 2010 World Cup finalists Wesley Sneijder and Nigel de Jong.
Notable graduates: Wesley Sneijder, Edgar Davids, Nigel de Jong, Patrick Kluivert, Edwin Van der Sar, Clarence Seedorf, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Dennis Bergkamp, Matthijs de Ligt.
Bayern Munich Junior Team (Bayern Munich)
The club that produced the legendary Franz Beckenbauer helped provide the core of Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning team, with five players having been trained by the Bavarian outfit through the last few decades.
Notable graduates: Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Emre Can, David Alaba.
Carrington (Manchester United)
The Red Devils' system is most fondly remembered for their Class of '92, but they have also produced a significant crop of additional internationals, including a World Cup winner in Paul Pogba, who returned to the club after initially leaving as a youngster.
Notable graduates: Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Danny Welbeck.
La Fabrica (Real Madrid)
If arguably not as successful as their La Liga rivals, Los Blancos have produced more than their fair share of major talent, with over three-dozen players plying their trade in Europe's top five leagues.
Notable graduates: Iker Casillas, Lucas Vazquez, Dani Carvajal, Marcos Llorente, Raul, Denis Cheryshev, Francisco Pavon, Alvaro Morata, Alvaro Arbeloa.
La Masia (Barcelona)
Arguably the finest system in the world, the Blaugrana's youth set-up has provided dozens of Spain internationals over the years, plus nurtured Lionel Messi into the formidable talent that he is today after he arrived from Argentina as a youngster.
Notable graduates: Lionel Messi, Francisco Carrasco, Xavi, Pep Guardiola, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes, Jordi Alba.
River Plate Academy (River Plate)
The Argentine club have paved the way for dozens of top talents over the years, with two Ballon d'Or winners among their products, albeit from half a century ago in Alfredo Di Stefano and Omar Sivori. They've delivered a fine crop of European heavyweights since, however.
Notable graduates: Fernando Cavenaghi, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao, Javier Mascherano, Erik Lamela, Santiago Solari.
Southampton Academy (Southampton)
To say they have not reaped senior success through the years hides the fact that the Premier League outfit have produced several England internationals in recent decades, including Wales star Gareth Bale and former Newcastle hero Alan Shearer.
Notable graduates: Gareth Bale, Alan Shearer, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Matt Le Tissier, James Ward-Prowse.
Santos Academy (Santos)
Paris Saint-Germain wantaway Neymar is the obvious big name, but Santos have also produced plenty of full Brazil internationals in recent years too, with several making their mark on the Selecao.
Notable graduates: Neymar Jr, Robinho, Wesley, Andre, Ganso, Felipe Anderson, Gabriel, Rafael Cabral.
Olympique Lyonnais Academy (Lyon)
The Ligue 1 heavyweights have brought through some superstars, including World Cup-winning pair Samuel Umtiti and Nabil Fekir, along with some serious strike power in Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette and Manchester United's Anthony Martial.
Notable graduates: Alexandre Lacazette, Anthony Martial, Samuel Umtiti, Karim Benzema, Corentin Tolisso, Anthony Lopes, Hatem Ben Arfa, Nabil Fekir.
Honourable Mentions
There's so many other academies worth noting, with Genk having brought both Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois through to senior level.Arsenal have produced several great names over the years, while Athletic Bilbao have a notable focus on Basque stars only, marking them out as a rather special example.