First Team

A miraculous rise

From bankruptcy to Disneyland – introducing our upcoming friendly opponents Como 1907.

In their fifth pre-season friendly at 16:30 CEST on Saturday, the Wolves take on a side who, up until recently, had been out of the spotlight for quite some time. Now, with several big names in their ranks and having secured a long-awaited return to Serie A, Como 1907 are attracting more attention than ever before. We take a closer look at our upcoming friendly opponents.

Three promotions in five years

After being declared bankrupt not once, but twice, the Lombardy-based outfit had to build from scratch in Serie D – Italy’s fourth tier – and change their name on two occasions. Known as Como 1907 since the 2017/18 campaign, they returned to the professional scene by achieving promotion to Serie C in 2019, before London-based media company SENT Entertainment – backed by Indonesian tobacco billionaires Budi and Bambang Hartono – took over the club. The Hartono brothers’ investment proved to be the catalyst for further success: Como were promoted to Serie B in 2021 before finishing runners-up in the second tier last season, sealing their return to Serie A after a 20-year absence.

Fabregas’ rapid rise

Our opponents’ head coach is none other than Spanish World Cup and two-time EURO winner Cesc Fabregas, who ended his illustrious career with a move to Como – then in Serie B – in 2022. After hanging up his boots a year later, the Catalonia native was in charge of the U19 side for several months. Fabregas, who also owns shares in the club, spent the majority of last season as assistant to Osian Roberts, who vacated the role following Como’s promotion to the top flight in May. After obtaining the required coaching licence, Fabregas was appointed head coach.

Ein Spieler von Como lässt sich in der Menge feiern.

Familiar names

Thierry Henry, another Arsenal legend, recently bought a stake in Como, while ex-England international Dennis Wise operates as CEO. Several current big-name players have also found the project too good to turn down, including Pepe Reina, Alberto Moreno and Andrea Belotti. Late last month, Fabregas succeeded in luring Raphael Varane, who helped France to World Cup glory in 2018 and lifted the Champions League on four occasions with Real Madrid, to Lombardy.

“Disney as a reference”

Naturally, Como and their owners have grand plans for the future. Mirwan Suwarso, official representative of the club’s ownership group, recently told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Our Como project uses Disney as its reference point: joint media and merchandising with the city and the region [and] a park on the lake with a modern stadium and entertainment opportunities throughout the week.”