Como 1907Como 1907, located on the shores of one of the most beautiful and exclusive lakes in the world, has undergone one of modern football's most spectacular transformations over the past decade — rising from the brink of bankruptcy in the fourth division (Serie D) to becoming one of the most talked-about brands in Italy's Serie A. The club was founded in 1907 as Como Foot-Ball Club and has worn royal blue as its colours since its earliest years. It plays its home matches at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, in continuous use since 1928.
Behind this spectacular metamorphosis lies the capital of the Indonesian conglomerate Djarum, represented by brothers Robert Budi and Michael Bambang Hartono, among the wealthiest individuals on the planet. In April 2019, while the club was still playing in Serie D, the brothers acquired it for a modest sum of around €850,000, also clearing its outstanding debt. Unlike many other foreign investors, the owners did not blindly throw money at random transfer targets, focusing instead on a long-term sporting and commercial project. Notable football figures were drawn into the club's structure, with Thierry Henry and Cesc Fàbregas becoming minority shareholders. It was the Spanish World and European champion who followed a distinctive path at the club: joining as a player in the summer of 2022, then, after retiring in 2023, coaching the youth side before becoming assistant coach during the historic 2023–24 promotion campaign (formally led by Welsh coach Osian Roberts), before finally taking over as head coach in July 2024, at the start of Como's return to Serie A.
Promotion to Italy's top flight in 2024, after more than two decades away, closed a long chapter of ups and downs. The club had reached the top level of Italian football several times in its history — including the 1948–49 and 1979–80 seasons — only to fall as low as the fourth tier, including after a bankruptcy declared in 2004. The return to Serie A caused a genuine media storm, with the club quickly becoming a magnet for established names from across Europe drawn to the picturesque lakeside town, including legendary defender Raphaël Varane, veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina, and dynamic midfielder Sergi Roberto. Under Fàbregas's guidance, the team has shown no intention of being merely a charming backdrop for the league's heavyweights, regularly taking points off the favourites and enchanting fans with bold, attacking tactics.
Como 1907 demonstrates that a unique combination of a luxury location, serious financial backing and pure footballing passion can, within just a few years, build a project capable of shaking up an entire league — without the club losing the identity it maintained through most of its more than century-long history as a modest participant in Italian football.
