Manchester City using AI to help develop a future Ballon d'Or winner at academy level

Manchester City have adapted their academy processes to place increasing emphasis on individual development, using artificial intelligence to track the progress of their most promising young players, the club's academy director Thomas Krucken has revealed.

The initiative, called 'Future Player 2.0', uses AI to assess youth players' performances and help the club work towards what Krucken describes as their ultimate goal: developing a Ballon d'Or winner from within the City Football Academy.

How the AI system works at Man City's academy

Krucken, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, emphasised that the methodology reflects the club's ambition to keep pace with the demands of an increasingly competitive market. The project is currently in its pilot phase.

'This big vision of developing the Ballon d'Or winner one day is an indicator that we are driven to try to be excellent in everything we do and learn from failures,' the academy director said.

The system does not focus on technical fundamentals alone. City developed the AI tool in partnership with an external company which provides the technology, while the club handles the football analysis. Together, they have established key performance indicators for each position on the pitch. Data from academy players is then sent to the organisation, which compares their outputs against the benchmarks set by Maresca's first-team players.

'We have a clear picture of what we want to develop for the future,' Krucken told MEN. 'What is needed for the winger of the future, and what does Ryan McAidoo need to increase his levels?'

Man City academy AI aims to give young players ownership of their development

The tool identifies where each academy player currently stands and which areas require most improvement — the aim being to show players, through data, how far they are from the level required for the first team, and to encourage them to take ownership of their own development.

Krucken used 18-year-old winger McAidoo — promoted to Maresca's squad this season — to illustrate the process.

'When he came he was outstanding already, but it's about the last, let's say, five, ten per cent, and to prepare the player then for the demands of what we believe comes next,' the director said.

'What is the gap between McAidoo and Doku? And how do we use the training time we have in the most effective way? Because we can't just train five, six, seven times. For us, it's about how we use that time.'

The limited pathway for academy graduates into City's senior team was a recurring criticism during the Pep Guardiola era. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Romeo Lavia — now at Chelsea — alongside James Trafford, Brahim Diaz, Eric Garcia, Jeremie Frimpong and Felix Nmecha all passed through the academy without ever establishing themselves in the first team.

That picture has shifted in recent years. City's current senior squad includes homegrown players Nico O'Reilly — voted the best young player in the Premier League last season — defender Rico Lewis and midfielder Phil Foden, along with the newly promoted McAidoo.