New Graphic Novel Traces the History of Football from Antiquity to the Modern Era

In terms of content, the work spans a wide arc. The authors find evidence of early forms of football as far back as antiquity and trace the development of the game across the centuries. Along the way, they depict "bunt und blutig die so ausgelassenen wie ausufernden Raufereien mittelalterlicher Dörfer um Bälle" and show how the game gradually evolved out of violent regional traditions into an organized sport.

From Antiquity to Great Britain

For the decisive steps toward a rule-based game of football, the trio travels to the British Isles. There, in the schools and universities of the 19th century, the first uniform rules were formulated that laid the foundation for modern football. The graphic novel follows these traces and makes the British Isles the central setting of the book's second half.

The graphic execution is handled by Lelio Bonaccorso, who works as a comic artist and illustrator for the Italian sports newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport." His drawing style combines documentary accuracy with expressive scenes that transport the reader into the atmosphere of past eras. Whether surging crowds on medieval market squares or the first organized matches on English grass pitches – Bonaccorso lends the narrative visual power.

Artist, Screenwriter and Journalist United

Jean-Christophe Deveney, responsible as screenwriter for the book's narrative structure, ensures that the historical threads are woven into a coherent story. He structures the episodes so that the reader understands the development of the game as an ongoing process – from wild ball battles through early rulebooks to the sport as it is played worldwide today.

Mickaël Correia contributes the historical research and provides the expert foundation on which the graphic novel is built. As a journalist specializing in football history, he brings the necessary knowledge of sources to scientifically underpin the narrative. His second specialization, climate reporting, suggests that current topics surrounding the sport may also play a role in the book.

Digging Deeper than Familiar Clichés

The project explicitly sees itself as teamwork. According to the publisher, the three authors have joined forces to dig really deep – that is, beyond familiar clichés and popular myths to reveal the actual historical lines. The graphic novel thus aims to be more than entertaining reading: it sees itself as an illuminating history book that takes football seriously as a cultural phenomenon.

With the publication of the book, which according to the publisher appears on 15 June 2026, a comprehensive graphic narrative tracing the entire arc of football history is available for the first time. The book is aimed at readers who appreciate sport, history and comics equally – and at the same time offers a new approach to a subject that has previously been covered mainly in non-fiction books and documentaries.

The graphic novel joins a growing number of publications that make sports history accessible in narrative form. Unlike pure non-fiction books, the format relies on the power of images to bring historical scenes to life. The combination of journalistic research, screenwriting skill and graphic design makes the book a multilayered work that is likely to appeal to various reader groups.