Top 20 counties ranked 

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Football is the most popular sport in England and is adored across the country. The Premier League is the most watched league in the world, and so many young children grow up in England harbouring dreams of one day becoming a professional player. With such fierce competition, it takes dedication, hard work, and talent, but with such a large pool of players to choose from, England have churned out a number of top footballers in recent years. But which areas of England are the best at producing top level talent? At Transfermarkt, we have calculated just that.

Looking at every English player with a current market value of €10 million or more, we have broken down which of the 48 English counties have produced the most valuable footballers. To do this, we have gathered the players who were born in each county and added their values together to gain a total market value for each county. To makes things easier and avoid discrepancies, if a player is born elsewhere they haven’t been included. For example Marc Guéhi (market value: €45m) was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but moved to London when he was one years old – he has not been included in the Greater London county. This is because many players would have moved counties at an early age.

Which English counties produce the most valuable footballers?

Leading the way by some distance, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the county of Greater London. The county of the capital city London currently boasts 39 English players worth €10m+ that were born within its borders. The most valuable of which are Bukayo Saka (€150m), Declan Rice (€110m), and Harry Kane (€90m). London and it’s surrounding areas have become a hub for top class talent. The Greater London county itself has a population of just under nine million, and is one of the most multicultural cities on the planet.

In second place is the county of Greater Manchester – there are 12 €10m+ players from that county with a combined market value of €539m. The most valuable of which are Phil Foden (€140m), Cole Palmer (€130m), and Kobbie Mainoo (€55m). In third position on our list is the West Midlands. The county, which covers the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton among others, currently has 11 €10m+ players born there, with a combined market value of €442m – England’s most valuable player, Jude Bellingham (€180m), is included within this. Fourth place goes to Merseyside, with just four €10m+ players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold (€75m) combining for a total market value of €200m.

In fifth place is Hampshire, with five €10m+ players amalgamating for a total market value of €173m. Sixth position goes to the northern county of Tyne & Wear, with seven €10m+ players born there with a combined market value of €136m. In eighth we head to the south-west and Devon, with just two players, but with a combined market value of €77m. In ninth is Staffordshire with three players reaching a combined market value of €76m, with Cumbria completing the top 10 with a combined market value of €75m from three players.

As illustrated in the graphic above, when we break down the 10 most valuable English players from separate counties, we can see which stars have risen from different backgrounds to shine at the top stage. Bellingham (€180m) leads for West Midlands, Saka’s (€150m) in front from Greater London, Foden (€140m) takes top spot from Greater Manchester, and Alexander-Arnold (€75m) leads from Merseyside. Levi Colwill (€55m) is the most valuable player from Hampshire, Ben White (€55m) is carrying Dorset, Ollie Watkins (€55m) leads the way for Devon, while Jarrod Bowen (€45m) is way out in front for Herefordshire. Morgan Gibbs-White (€40m) is setting the standard for Staffordshire, with Connor Gallagher (€40m) leading the way for Surrey.

As highlighted above, there are actually currently 17 of the 48 English counties, that don’t have a single player worth €10m or more born within their borders. They include Kent, which is the sixth most populated county in the whole of England. Nowadays we live in a world that’s more connected than ever, and people are often on the move between counties and even countries, but it’s interesting to breakdown where the current crop of English talent were born to determine the countries hotspots at producing the most valuable players.