Ukrainian football clubs among the most profitable in Europe

Ukrainian football giants Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv have demonstrated significant financial results over the past decade thanks to the development of their own academies. In total, these two clubs have received about 280 million euros from transfers of players they themselves have trained.

The relevant data was published by the CIES Football Observatory, which compiled a rating of the most profitable football academies in the world over the past 10 years. The study took into account not only direct income from the sale of players, but also additional payments, including bonuses and interest from subsequent transfers.

According to the center's methodology, football players who have spent at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21 in the relevant academy are considered to be club graduates. It is these players who form the basis of the financial results that experts have assessed.

Shakhtar received the highest income among Ukrainian clubs. Since July 1, 2016, the Donetsk club has sold 12 of its players, earning 169 million euros. This result allowed it to share 39–40 places in the world ranking with the Argentine Boca Juniors.

The most high-profile transfer of the Miners was the sale of Mykhailo Mudryk to London's Chelsea in January for 70 million euros. In addition, the agreement provides for another 30 million euros in possible bonuses. At the same time, the player has been suspended from participating in matches since December 2024 due to a positive doping test.

Dynamo Kyiv is also actively monetizing its own academy. Over 10 years, the club has sold 15 players, earning 111 million euros in revenue. This allowed the Kyiv team to occupy 66–67 positions in the ranking, sharing them with the French Girondins Bordeaux.

The most profitable transfer for Dynamo was the transfer of Ilya Zabarny to the English Bournemouth in January 2023 for 33 million euros. However, the financial benefits for the Kyiv team did not end there.

In the summer of 2025, Bournemouth sold Zabarny to Paris Saint-Germain for 63 million euros. According to Transfermarkt, Dynamo receives 20% of the profit from the resale of the player (this is about 8.1 million euros), as well as 3.5% of the total transfer amount — approximately 2.2 million euros — as joint payments for the preparation of the football player.

The world leader in the ranking was the Portuguese Benfica, which earned 589 million euros from the sales of its players over 10 years. The second place was taken by the Dutch Ajax with an indicator of 454 million euros, and the third place went to the same Chelsea — 442 million euros.

Thus, Ukrainian clubs, despite difficult conditions, remain competitive in the global football training market, and their academies continue to bring stable financial results.