Santa Fe A/S : Relocation in sport. The Presence Of Expatriate Footballers & What It Means...

Since the beginning of 2015, the CIES Football Observatory has published Monthly Reports analysing a range of topics in professional football, including the composition of squads, development of players, performance analysis and value of transfers.

The 25 edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report, released in May, explores the existence of expatriate footballers in a total of 137 leagues of 93 countries worldwide. According to this report, Brazil is considered to be the most represented country, with more than 1,200 expatriates representing the country, closely followed by France and Argentina. Here at Santa Fe Relocation, we're taking a closer look at the presence of expatriate footballers in clubs around the world.

Brazil

At the start of May, in total, 221 footballers from Brazil were playing in the top two leagues in Portugal. Brazilian players are considered to be the only truly global workers within the professional football industry, present in all but 11 associations covered in the study conducted by the CIES Football Observatory.

France

Almost a quarter of French expatriate footballers play for English or Belgian football clubs, with more than 190 players having transferred to a number of clubs amongst the English and Belgian football leagues. The French are also recognised for being highly present in the Algerian top division, home to 33 players. Some of the most notable French expatriate footballers include the likes of Paul Pogba (who became the most expensive football player in the world after transferring from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016), Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Franck Ribery and many more. Some of these players are noted to be world-class, and with some of the top clubs in the European leagues such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid purchasing these players for high prices, the number of expatriate footballers is growing.

Argentina

The 25 edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report suggests that Chile is the prime destination for Argentinean expatriates. Not only is the total number of Argentinean footballers recorded in Mexico very high, but they are also considered to be the most represented origin amongst all expatriates. So, whilst Brazilians are the global source of labour, Argentineans play an equal role in Latin America and are present in no more than 59 of the 93 associations analysed.

England

England's presence is considerably linked to the number of English players who have moved to other UK nations, including Wales and Scotland - so much so that over half of English expatriate players are under contract in a club in either Wales or Scotland. There are also a large number of English footballers located in the United States, as the MLS begins to become a popular destination for aging footballers coming to the end of their careers in the fast-paced European leagues. In addition to this, English players are anticipated to remain the main expatriate contingent in New Zealand. Currently, English players are represented in a total of 41 countries - 52 less than the total number of countries studied.

Today, expatriate players are present in all the 93 countries and 137 leagues analysed by the CIES Football Observatory. Not only has this study identified the evolution of globalisation in the football players' labour market, it has also highlighted the export of players from Argentina, France and Brazil, who make 22.7% of the total number of expatriates taken into consideration by the CIES Football Observatory. The impact expatriate footballers have on their clubs can be dramatic - with Manchester United breaking budgets with the signing of Paul Pogba, Atletico Madrid beginning to compete against Barcelona and Real Madrid with help from the fire-power of Antoine Griezmann, and the majority of Chelsea F.C.'s squad made up of expatriates from around the world.

If you need support in football relocation or relocation in sports our expert team are on hand to help. Get in touch with us today.