10 graphic novels for football fans: from Captain Tsubasa to Zlatan
Artribune presents a curated list of ten graphic novels and comics dedicated to football, spanning from Japanese manga to Italian biographies. The selection includes Yoichi Takahashi's 'Captain Tsubasa' (Star Comics, 2000), which popularized football in Japan since 1981; Paolo Castaldi's 'Diego Armando Maradona' (BeccoGiallo, 2019) covering the Argentine star's life from Villa Fiorito to Naples; Davide Reviati's 'Morti di sonno' (Coconino Press, 2009/2020) set in the Villaggio Anic of Ravenna, a working-class neighborhood built in 1958; Paolo Ongaro's 'Azzurri. Storia della nazionale italiana dal 1910' (Guerin Sportivo), serialized since 1982; Mattia Ferri and Nicolò Belandi's 'Roberto Baggio. Credere nell'impossibile' (BeccoGiallo, 2019), the first comic biography of the 1994 Ballon d'Or winner; Marco Peroni and Riccardo Cecchetti's 'Gigi Meroni, il ribelle granata' (BeccoGiallo, 2019) about the Torino player who died at 24; Santiago García and Pablo Ríos' 'Fútbol. La novela gráfica' (Astiberri, 2014), a collection of stories; Baru's 'Gli anni dello Sputnik' (Oblomov, 2017) set in 1950s Lorraine, France, against the backdrop of the Algerian War and Cold War; Paolo Castaldi's 'Zlatan' (Feltrinelli Comics, 2018) focusing on Ibrahimovic's youth in Rosengård, Sweden; and Otto Gabos and Roberto Perrone's 'Banana Football Club' (Rizzoli, 2008) about a boy named Pierpaolo and his friend Nino 'Foglia Morta'.
Key facts
- List of 10 graphic novels about football published by Artribune in June 2020.
- Includes 'Captain Tsubasa' by Yoichi Takahashi, first published in 1981.
- Paolo Castaldi's 'Diego Armando Maradona' published by BeccoGiallo in 2019.
- Davide Reviati's 'Morti di sonno' set in Villaggio Anic, Ravenna, built in 1958.
- Paolo Ongaro's 'Azzurri' serialized in Guerin Sportivo since 1982, updated to 1998.
- Mattia Ferri and Nicolò Belandi's 'Roberto Baggio' covers his 1994 Ballon d'Or and Buddhist faith.
- Marco Peroni and Riccardo Cecchetti's 'Gigi Meroni' about the Torino player who died at 24.
- Santiago García and Pablo Ríos' 'Fútbol' published by Astiberri in 2014.
- Baru's 'Gli anni dello Sputnik' set in 1950s Lorraine, France, during Algerian War and Cold War.
- Paolo Castaldi's 'Zlatan' published by Feltrinelli Comics in 2018, focuses on youth in Rosengård.
Entities
Artists
- Yoichi Takahashi
- Paolo Castaldi
- Davide Reviati
- Paolo Ongaro
- Mattia Ferri
- Nicolò Belandi
- Marco Peroni
- Riccardo Cecchetti
- Santiago García
- Pablo Ríos
- Baru
- Otto Gabos
- Roberto Perrone
- Diego Armando Maradona
- Roberto Baggio
- Gigi Meroni
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Oliver Hutton
- Holly
- Benji
- Lucio Dalla
- Enrico Mattei
- Nino detto Foglia Morta
Institutions
- Artribune
- Star Comics
- BeccoGiallo Edizioni
- Coconino Press
- Guerin Sportivo
- Astiberri Ediciones
- Oblomov Edizioni
- Feltrinelli Comics
- Rizzoli
- Newteam
- Torino
- Milan
- Juventus
Locations
- Japan
- Italy
- Villa Fiorito
- Naples
- Villaggio Anic
- Ravenna
- Lorraine
- France
- Rosengård
- Sweden
- Milan
- Bosco (PG)
- Padova
- Roma
- Quartu Sant'Elena (CA)
- Bilbao
- Milano