Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been named the best under-21 player outside Europe's five major leagues by the CIES Football Observatory, as confirmed by rankings published on 17 September 2026.
The 20-year-old Argentine scored 86.5 out of 100 points in the annual assessment, placing him ahead of nine other young talents from clubs outside the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 — collectively known as Europe’s ‘Big Five’.
A season in full stride
Prestianni is experiencing what the CIES researchers describe as one of the finest spells since his arrival at Benfica. He has recorded eight goals and two assists in 11 matches this season, according to statistics gathered by the observatory. His average Sofascore rating stands at 8.30 for the 2026/2027 campaign.
The performances earned him a call-up to the Argentina national team for friendlies between September and October.
The CIES Football Observatory — a research group based in Switzerland that specialises in football data analysis — calculates its rankings using metrics from eight areas of play: aerial and ground defending, build-up, orchestration, dribbling and duels, chance creation, finishing, and aerial attacking. Scores are weighted by the competitive level of matches played and minutes accumulated, then rescaled to a 0–100 range.
Portuguese clubs feature strongly
While Prestianni leads the list, other Portuguese clubs also appear in the CIES Weekly Post nº 533. FC Porto have 17-year-old attacking midfielder Rodrigo Mora among the highlighted under-21 talents, while Sporting CP have 17-year-old right-winger Geovany Quenda.
Separate CIES analysis from 3 September 2026 ranked FC Porto as the Portuguese club giving the most opportunities to young players since the start of 2026, with Sporting CP also appearing in the top 10 for producing players developed in-house.
The top performers
The CIES ranking of under-21 footballers outside Europe's elite five leagues, published on 17 September, includes:
Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica) — score: 86.5
Kees Smit (AZ Alkmaar)
Matviy Ponomarenko (Dinamo Kyiv)
Tomás Aranda (Boca Juniors)
Leonel Flores (River Plate)
Álvaro Montoro (Botafogo)
Vasilije Kostov (Estrela Vermelha de Belgrado) — the youngest in the top 10 at 18.2 years old
The research covers the preceding year of competitive football.
Why Portugal produces and exports talent
Portuguese clubs have built a repeatable system: identify technically gifted players early, refine their tactical abilities, and provide competitive minutes before transfers to wealthier leagues. Academies such as Benfica Campus, opened in 2005, and Sporting CP's Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, established in 2002, offer elite facilities and professional coaching focused on technical development and decision-making.
The presence of B teams and a structured loan system allows young players regular senior experience. Unable to match the salaries offered by clubs in the five richest leagues, Portuguese sides have turned player development into a vital revenue stream — a model the CIES data continues to validate.
For Benfica supporters, Prestianni's recognition adds weight to the club's reputation for nurturing South American talent. For observers of the Portuguese game, it confirms that leading clubs remain a reliable stepping stone for young players before high-value moves abroad.
