A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
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CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report
n°51 - January 2020
A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
Drs Raffaele Poli, Loïc Ravenel and Roger Besson
1. Introduction
For the first time, a CIES Football Observa-
tory report turns its eye exclusively to Latin
America. Based on the model of the annual
study carried out since 2009 for 31 European
leagues, this Report compares four top divi-
sion Latin American championships from the
point of view of the demographic characteris-
tics of players. It comprises the Brazilian Serie
A, the Argentinean Superliga, the Chilean Prim-
era División and the Mexican Liga MX.
The analysis covers seven complementary
thematics: the number of players used, their
age, their height, the percentage of expatri-
ates, that of club-trained footballers and the
percentage of new recruits within the squads.
The sample is made up of players fielded in
domestic league matches during the second
semester of 2019. In total, the study covers 79
clubs and 2,015 footballers.
1Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
2. Number of players used Figure 1: number of players used, by league
On average, the teams studied used 25.5 play- 31.6
ers during domestic league matches played 25.5
24.8
from the 1st July 2019 onwards. Important dif- 23.2 22.6
ferences exist between championships. With
31.6 footballers used per club, the Brazilian
Superliga
Serie A teams fielded the greatest number of
Primera
División
Liga MX
Serie A
players (+24% in comparison to the average
observed for all of the leagues taken into ac-
count). BRA ARG MEX CHI Total
Fourteen of the fifteen teams having fielded at
least 30 players are Brazilian. The high number
of matches played in Brazil during the period Figure 2: clubs having used the most players
studied only partially explains the differences
observed. The desire shared by the clubs and 1 Goiás EC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 38
the empresários to showcase players in order . Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (BRA)IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 38
to stimulate interest from foreign teams and 3 Avaí Futebol Clube (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 37
increase their value on the transfer market 4 São Paulo FC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 35
also enters into consideration. 5 Sport Club Internacional (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 34
6 CA Paranaense (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 33
. SE Palmeiras (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 33
8 Fluminense FC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 32
. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 32
. Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 32
. CA San Lorenzo (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 32
12 CA Mineiro (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 31
. Associação Chapecoense (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 31
14 Centro Sportivo Alagoano (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30
. Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30
2Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
3. Age Figure 3: average age on the pitch, by league
The leagues analysed present similar charac-
28.2
teristics from the point of view of age. While 28.1 28.0 27.9
the Chilean clubs fielded the most experi-
27.5
enced line-ups (28.2 years of age on average),
the youngest championship, the Argentinean
Superliga
Superliga, also regroups relatively seasoned
Primera
División
Liga MX
Serie A
players (27.5 years of age). This result reflects
the same tendency to transfer to Europe the
most promising young players, who only re- CHI MEX BRA ARG Total
turn to South America at a relatively advanced
age.
The only three teams whose average age on Figure 4a: youngest clubs (average age)
the pitch is under 25 are Argentinian. With
an average age on the pitch of 23.1 years, CD 1 CD Godoy Cruz (ARG) IIIIIIIII 23.1
Godoy Cruz stands out from the crowd. How- 2 CA Talleres (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIII 24.3
ever, during the writing of the present report, 3 CA Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIII 24.9
this team occupied the last place of the Ar- 4 Santos Laguna (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 25.8
gentinian Superliga. The two oldest teams 5 CD Huachipato (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 25.9
are Chilean: Universidad de Conceptión (30.8 . Fluminense FC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 25.9
years) and Curicó Unido (30.1 years).
7 Querétaro FC (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 26.1
8 Club Unión Española (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 26.3
. CSD Defensa y Justicia (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 26.3
10 Audax Club Sportivo Italiano (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 26.4
Figure 4b: oldest clubs (average age)
1 Universidad de Conceptión (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30.8
2 CD Curico Unido (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30.1
3 CA Tucumán (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30.0
. CF Tigres de la UANL (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30.0
5 CD Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.9
6 Racing Club Avellaneda (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.8
. CD Universidad Católica (CHI) (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.8
8 Associação Chapecoense (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.6
. Deportivo Toluca FC (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.6
10 CF Puebla (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 29.5
3Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
4. Height Figure 5: average height on the pitch, by league
The average height on the pitch varies be-
179.9
tween 177.4cm in the Chilean top division and
178.9 178.9
179.9cm for the top-flight Brazilian league. The
177.9
general average is 178.9cm. By way of com- 177.4
parison, this value is around 182cm in Europe.
Superliga
Though it can make migration more difficult,
Primera
División
Liga MX
Serie A
the height deficit is often compensated by a
greater technical mastery. This state of affairs
makes the South American market very at- BRA ARG MEX CHI Total
tractive for international scouts.
There are no Brazilian clubs among the ten
teams with the lowest values in terms of av- Figure 6a: shortest clubs (average height in cm)
erage height on the pitch. On the other hand,
there are seven among the ten with the high- 1 Everton de Vina del Mar (CHI) IIIIIIIII 174.8
est values. Aside from the differences in the 2 Club León (MEX) IIIIIIIIII 175.0
average height of populations in the countries 3 CD Curico Unido (CHI) IIIIIIIIII 175.2
concerned, this result probably also shows the 4 CD Huachipato (CHI) IIIIIIIIII 175.3
preference of Brazilian teams for taller players, 5 Audax Club Sportivo Italiano (CHI) IIIIIIIIIII 175.9
who are easier to transfer abroad. 6 Querétaro FC (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIII 176.1
7 CA Talleres (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIII 176.2
8 CD Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIII 176.3
9 Monarcas Morelia (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIII 176.5
10 AA Argentinos Juniors (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIII 176.8
Figure 6b: tallest clubs (average height in cm)
1 CA Tucumán (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 182.2
2 Fluminense FC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 181.5
3 Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 181.3
4 CA Patronato de la Juventud Católica (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 181.1
5 Cruzeiro EC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 181.0
6 CF Tigres de la UANL (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 180.8
7 Avaí Futebol Clube (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 180.6
8 Ceará SC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 180.5
. Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 180.5
10 Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 180.4
4Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
5. Expatriates Figure 7: % of minutes by expatriates, by league
51.6
Important differences exist at the level of the
percentage of expatriate players. This notion
refers to footballers who have grown up out- 31.4
side of the association of their owner club. At 23.4
one extreme, players imported from abroad
14.7
were fielded for only about a tenth of minutes 10.3
in the Brazilian Serie A. At the other, this per-
centage is over half in the Mexican MX league.
The value measured in Argentina is close to MEX CHI ARG BRA Total
that of Brazil, while that observed in Chile is
situated in the middle.
The ten clubs where expatriate footballers Figure 8a: lowest % of minutes by expatriates
played the most minutes are Mexican, with a
maximum value of 65% for Club Tijuana. The 1 Arsenal de Sarandì FC (ARG) 0.0%
highest figure for a non-Mexican team was re- . Ceará SC (BRA) 0.0%
corded for Curicó Unido (48.1%). In contrast, 3 CA Lanús (ARG) I 0.1%
many Brazilian and Argentinian teams are 4 Associação Chapecoense (BRA) I 0.7%
among those where expatriates are less nu- 5 CD Guadalajara (MEX) I 0.9%
merous. Two of them, Arsenal de Sarandì and 6 CA Tucumán (ARG) I 1.7%
Cearà SC, did not field any.
7 EC Bahia (BRA) I 2.4%
8 Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (BRA) II 4.4%
9 SE Palmeiras (BRA) III 6.1%
10 CA Central Córdoba de Santiago del Estero (ARG) III 6.8%
Figure 8b: highest % of minutes by expatriates
1 Club Tijuana (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 65.0%
2 CF Monterrey (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 64.3%
3 Atlas Guadalajara (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 62.6%
4 Deportivo Toluca FC (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 61.0%
5 Club Pachuca (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 59.0%
6 Atlético San Luis (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 58.1%
7 Club León (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 57.0%
8 CF Puebla (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 56.2%
9 CF Tigres de la UANL (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 54.9%
10 Cruz Azul FC (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 53.5%
5Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
With 138 nationals, Argentina is by far the most Figure 9: main expatriate origins
represented origin among the expatriates in
Total (4 leagues)
1 Argentina 138 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
the leagues analysed. Argentinians are par-
2 Colombia 67 IIIIIIIIIIIII
ticularly numerous in Mexico and Chile. They
are also the primary source of foreign labour 3 Uruguay 66 IIIIIIIIIIIII
in Brazil. In total, they account for almost one- 4 Paraguay 52 IIIIIIIIII
third of expatriates. Three other countries have 5 Chile 25 IIIII
substantial expatriate contingents: Colombia, 6 Venezuela 18 III
Uruguay and Paraguay. On the contrary, only 7 Ecuador 17 III
eight Brazilians are expatriated in the leagues 8 Peru 11 II
studied (all are in Mexico).
9 Spain 9 I
10 Brazil 8 I
Superliga (ARG)
1 Uruguay 26 IIIII
2 Paraguay 22 IIII
3 Colombia 20 IIII
4 Chile 8 I
Serie A (BRA) 5 Venezuela 2 I
1 Argentina 15 III
2 Colombia 13 II
3 Paraguay 9 I
4 Uruguay 7 I
5 Venezuela 3 I
Primera División (CHI)
1 Argentina 61 IIIIIIIIIIII
2 Uruguay 12 II
3 Venezuela 12 II
4 Paraguay 8 I
5 Colombia 4 I
Liga MX (MEX)
1 Argentina 62 IIIIIIIIIIII
2 Colombia 30 IIIIII
3 Uruguay 21 IIII
4 Chile 16 III
5 Paraguay 13 II
6Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
6. Training Figure 10: % of minutes by club-trained players,
by league
Club-trained players are footballers having
played at least three seasons between the 22.6
ages of 15 and 21 at their owner club. This cat-
17.8
egory of footballers played 16.8% of minutes 16.8
14.7
in the leagues taken into account. The lowest 13.3
percentage was measured in the Mexican Liga
Superliga
MX (13.3%), where clubs employ many players
Primera
División
Liga MX
Serie A
imported from abroad. Conversely, the high-
est proportion was recorded in the Argentin-
ARG CHI BRA MEX Total
ian Superliga (22.6%), where more clubs rely
on players from their academies to make up
their squads.
Club-trained footballers played a majority of Figure 11a: lowest % of minutes by club-trained
domestic league minutes in only three of the
1 FC Juárez (MEX) 0.0%
79 clubs taken into account: CA Banfield, Gim-
nasia y Esgrima and Pumas UNAM. The latter . Atlético San Luis (MEX) 0.0%
club constitutes a notable exception in the . Centro Sportivo Alagoano (BRA) 0.0%
Mexican context. Two of the three teams not 4 Ceará SC (BRA) I 0.2%
having fielded any club-trained players are . Club Necaxa (MEX) I 0.2%
Mexican: FC Juárez and Atlético San Luis. The 6 Club Tijuana (MEX) I 1.1%
third, CS Alagoano, is Brazilian. 7 SE Palmeiras (BRA) I 1.3%
8 CA Tucumán (ARG) I 2.0%
9 EC Bahia (BRA) I 2.1%
10 Arsenal de Sarandí FC (ARG) I 2.2%
Figure 11b: highest % of minutes by club-trained
1 CA Banfield (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 60.3%
2 Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 54.6%
3 Pumas UNAM (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 52.4%
4 CA Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 44.8%
5 CA Lanús (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 39.8%
6 CD Godoy Cruz (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 35.7%
7 Audax Club Sportivo Italiano (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 33.8%
8 AA Argentinos Juniors (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 31.6%
9 CA Newell's Old Boys (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 31.3%
10 Fluminense FC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 31.1%
7Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
Boca Juniors is at the top of the rankings for Figure 12: main training clubs
clubs having trained the greatest number of
Players [In the club]
players within the leagues analysed. The Bue-
1 CA Boca Juniors (ARG) 46 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [5]
nos Aires team is ahead of three other Argen-
tinian clubs: Vélez Sarsfield, River Plate and 2 CA Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) 39 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [14]
Newell’s Old Boys. The most important train- . CA River Plate (ARG) 39 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [9]
ing clubs for the countries of the other three 4 CA Newell's Old Boys (ARG) 33 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII [11]
championships surveyed are São Paulo FC in 5 São Paulo FC (BRA) 31 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII [13]
Brazil, Atlas Guadalajara in Mexico and Univer- 6 Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (BRA) 29 IIIIIIIIIIIIII [13]
sidad de Chile in Chile. . Atlas Guadalajara (MEX) 29 IIIIIIIIIIIIII [12]
8 CA San Lorenzo (ARG) 28 IIIIIIIIIIIIII [11]
. Universidad de Chile (CHI) 28 IIIIIIIIIIIIII [6]
10 CD Universidad Católica (CHI) 27 IIIIIIIIIIIII [8]
. CSD Colo Colo (CHI) 27 IIIIIIIIIIIII [6]
. AA Argentinos Juniors (ARG) 27 IIIIIIIIIIIII [9]
. Sport Club Internacional (BRA) 27 IIIIIIIIIIIII [8]
. Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (ARG) 27 IIIIIIIIIIIII [15]
15 CA Rosario Central (ARG) 25 IIIIIIIIIIII [8]
. Santos Futebol Clube (BRA) 25 IIIIIIIIIIII [5]
. CA Lanús (ARG) 25 IIIIIIIIIIII [10]
18 CA Banfield (ARG) 24 IIIIIIIIIIII [14]
19 CD Godoy Cruz (ARG) 23 IIIIIIIIIII [13]
20 Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (BRA) 22 IIIIIIIIIII [12]
. CD Huachipato (CHI) 22 IIIIIIIIIII [6]
. Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (BRA) 22 IIIIIIIIIII [8]
8Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
7. Recruitments Figure 13: % of new recruits, by league
New recruits are players having joined their
employer club during the year (from the 1st
of January 2019 onwards in this case). Foot- 47.4 46.5
44.2 44.8
ballers promoted from youth academies are
40.9
not included in the new recruit category. The
Superliga
percentage of new recruits is high in each of
Primera
División
Liga MX
Serie A
the four leagues studied. In all of the champi-
onships, more than 40% of players have been
present in their employer club for less than CHI BRA ARG MEX Total
one year. The greatest instability was observed
in the Chilean top division (47.4%).
Numerous bottom-ranked teams are among Figure 14a: lowest % of new recruits
those with the highest proportion of new re-
cruits in their squads. The record high was 1 CA River Plate (ARG) IIII 18.5%
observed for CS Alagoano (76.7%), who were 2 Pumas UNAM (MEX) IIII 19.0%
eventually relegated. Conversely, many suc- 3 CF Monterrey (MEX) IIII 19.2%
cessful teams figure among the most stable. 4 CF Tigres de la UANL (MEX) IIIII 21.1%
At the top of the list are the finalists of the 5 Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (BRA) IIIII 23.7%
Copa Libertadores, River Plate, followed by 6 CA Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) IIIIII 24.0%
three ambitious Mexican teams (Pumas UNAM,
7 Monarcas Morelia (MEX) IIIIII 25.0%
CF Monterrey and CF Tigres of the UANL).
8 SE Palmeiras (BRA) IIIIII 27.3%
. Cruz Azul FC (MEX) IIIIII 27.3%
10 Sport Club Internacional (BRA) IIIIIII 29.4%
Figure 14b: highest % of new recruits
1 Centro Sportivo Alagoano (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 76.7%
2 Fortaleza EC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 72.4%
3 CD Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 70.8%
4 CA Central Córdoba de Santiago del Estero (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 70.4%
5 Club Necaxa (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 70.0%
6 Unión La Calera (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 69.6%
7 Club Tijuana (MEX) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 68.2%
8 Goiás EC (BRA) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 65.8%
9 Coquimbo Unido (CHI) IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 63.6%
10 CA Patronato de la Juventud Católica (ARG) IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 63.0%
9Monthly Report 51 - A demographic analysis of four Latin American leagues
8. Conclusion
The Report highlights some of the essential
characteristics of the principle Latin American
leagues. It notably illustrates the specificity of
the Brazilian Serie A regarding the plethora of
players used by teams. This situation reflects
the status of Brazil as a global source of la-
bour par excellence. From this point of view,
just playing a few matches can open the doors
towards a transfer abroad, even though not in
the most prestigious football countries.
The study also shows the central role of Ar-
gentina as a provider of players for the leagues
analysed. Indeed, Argentinians constitute the
most numerous contingents of expatriates in
Mexico, as well as in Chile and Brazil. On the
contrary, only eight Brazilians are expatriated
in the leagues studied (all in Mexico). The other
countries with many expatriates in the cham-
pionships taken into account are Colombia,
Uruguay and Paraguay.
The study also illustrates the unique case
of the Mexican MX league from the point of
view of the presence of players imported from
abroad. Expatriates account for the majority of
players in line-ups, while they only play about
a tenth of minutes in Brazil and Argentina. With
about one-third of minutes played by expatri-
ates, the Chilean Primera División occupies an
intermediate position.
The championships studied do not differenti-
ate themselves greatly when it comes to the
footballers’ age, which is quite high every-
where (almost 28 years of age on average on
the pitch). This result reflects a tendency to
transfer abroad, mainly to Europe, the most
promising young players, who only return to
South America at a later age.
The Report also brings to light the greater em-
phasis on the promotion of talents from youth
academies by Argentinian teams. Boca Juniors
is the most important training club, followed
by three other Argentinian clubs: Vélez Sars-
field, River Plate and Newell’s Old Boys. The
most important training clubs for the other
three countries studied are São Paulo FC in
Brazil, Atlas Guadalajara in Mexico and Univer-
sidad de Chile in Chile.
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