Livida Sport: A Global Guide to Football Transfers - Second Edition - Manual / Resource - Page 21
Germany
Bundesliga
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Founded in 1962, The Bundesliga is Germany's top football league, with 18 teams
competing annually for the title. Its famous 850+19 rule, whereby 50% of each club, plus
one share, must be owned by the club9s members, highlights the passionate, fan-led
culture of German football.
The league is known for developing exceptional young talent and some of the world9s
most valuable players, such as Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala.
Last season saw underdogs, Bayer Leverkusen, win the title for the first time in their
history. They won in emphatic fashion, becoming the first team in Bundesliga history to
go a whole season without losing a match. This broke Bayern Munich9s 11-year grip on
the league title, signalling a shift in the balance of power within the Bundesliga.
What are the foreign player rules?
There are no restrictions on the number of international players a Bundesliga team can
sign, as the focus is on developing homegrown talent rather than limiting foreign players.
However, all clubs in the German first and second divisions must include at least 12
licensed German players in their squad.
Additionally, the UEFA Local Player Regulation mandates that each club must have at
least eight locally trained players, i.e. trained by a German club. That can be 4+4, so that
four can be club-trained players who must have been eligible to play for the club in three
seasons/years between the age of 15 and 21, and four can be association-trained
players who must have been eligible to play for a DFB member club in three
seasons/years between the age of 15 and 21.
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