3. Sporting Lisbon
Number of academy graduates: 53
Sporting are slightly more productive in terms of youth than rival Porto are, and their results often show through the trophies that their young sides bring back to the Portuguese capital.
Everyone is well aware of William Carvalho’s talents, after Manchester United reportedly sent a steady stream of scouts to check on him. But also leading the line are Rui Patricio, who has established himself as Portugal’s first choice goalkeeper, Andre Martins, Eric Dier and Carlos Mane.