Sport
Como’s Fairytale Is Becoming Reality
When two Indonesian billionaire brothers took Como over and brought Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry on board as minority shareholders in 2019, it would have been easy to dismiss it as a vanity project.
Como was a city known better for stunning lakeside views than football, and the team certainly had no history of winning major titles, having suffered bankruptcy three times this century. The sudden star power raised intrigue and scepticism in equal measure.
In fact, the initial plan, when the club was in Serie D, was to make a reality TV show with Indonesian players developing in the Italian lower leagues. But their success soon focussed minds.
Seven years on, there is serious ambition at play. Fabregas is now in his first full managerial role having ended his playing career in the Lombardy sunshine, and is on the brink of leading his side into the Champions League against all odds, in just their second top flight season after promotion in 2024.
Like with the rise of Wrexham under the stewardship of Hollywood royalty Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the fairytale cliches can wear thin. Nobody should be under any illusions just how much financial power has gone into Como’s sudden rise, and both stories show star power can turbocharge these endeavours.
Yet it is no less impressive what Fabregas in particular is doing. After a career as a world class midfielder with Spain, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona, he is now gaining similar attention for his coaching potential. Working, and winning, at the highest level, feels inevitable.
He has always been an incredibly impressive and intelligent man. It was clear on the pitch, just as it is now in the way he sets his team up and thinks about the game.
Italian football has been on a major decline in the past two decades since the national team won the World Cup in 2006. Match fixing scandals, poor player development and tactical evolution have contributed to the Azzurri failing to reach three successive World Cups and failing to get out of the group stage in the last two where they did manage to qualify.
Como are a glimmer of light in a dark age. Quick passing, intense energy and fluid movement are three hallmarks that have put them on the brink of a top four finish. Yet, they also have the best defence in Serie A, conceding just 22 goals. They host league leaders Inter on Sunday night having won six of their last seven league games, drawing one.
On his side’s European ambitions, Fabregas told CBS in December that he was hopeful they could deliver, but wants to stay grounded.
“We will give our best” he said. “I’m very prudent with my players and my words because we’re very, very young. There are lots of ups and downs with young players, but we’re trying to be consistent,” he said. “Now. We’ve done, let’s say a third of the championship. \
“If we do the same third that we’ve done now in the next two, I’m sure we will do it because we are [on pace for] 72 points. And I think with 72 points you make Europe for sure. But again, it’s all up to us and we need to keep going. We need to keep believing, we need to keep working. This is only the beginning.”
In Argentine playmaker Nico Paz, Como have a linchpin who is driving them onto big things. He has scored 10 goals this season, with six assists, and the way he controls the ball and the game around him is extremely impressive for a 21-year-old. His future in the game is bright, and it would be far from surprising to see him move back to Real Madrid, where he came through the youth system before leaving in 2024.
We’ve seen this story before. When a small club overachieves, its long-term progress is stunted by the sale of assets. Fabregas and Paz are just two who are garnering attention, and one day will likely move on, though the coach’s shareholding may complicate matters somewhat.
But for now, Como are rising and threatening all in their wake. Inter will be a huge test, but if the Champions League is indeed in their future, one of the most beautiful cities in the world will have a beautiful footballing story to match.
