How Como Paid $800,000 for a Bankrupt Club and Is Now Playing Champions League

Eight hundred thousand euros. These days, that figure barely buys a backup fullback on the European market. In April 2019, that same amount was enough to buy an entire club, pay off its debts and put it back on its feet. Indonesian brothers Robert and Michael Hartono, each worth roughly $20 billion, paid that price for Como 1907. It was a club coming off its third bankruptcy in 13 years, playing in Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian soccer. Looking back from 2026, with the club on its way to the Champions League, that deal now looks almost like a joke given how cheap it was.

The other piece of the puzzle arrived in August 2022, when Cesc Fabregas signed as a player to wind down his career at Como. He had been an icon at Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, and had lifted the World Cup with Spain in 2010. Italy's Serie B wasn't exactly a dream destination, but Fabregas was drawn in by something different: the chance to hold shares in the club. He had no idea that was where a whole new story would begin.

From Assistant Coach to Architect of a Project

In the 2023-2024 season, without his coaching license fully in order yet, Fabregas served as assistant coach. But anyone watching the matches knew who was really pulling the strings. Promotion to Serie A arrived that campaign, bringing joy to a city of just 83,000 people, the smallest of any with a club in Italy's top division.

This was incredible. It was one of the best days of my life, not just my career.Cesc Fabregas

With Nico Paz as its creative standard bearer and Máximo Perrone providing midfield legs, Como won over Italian soccer fans over its two seasons in Serie A: it finished 10th in its debut and 4th in 2025-2026, ahead of several storied clubs. Michael Hartono passed away in March 2026 and never saw the club qualify for the Champions League. His brother Robert Budi, now Indonesia's richest man, must look back at that 800,000 euro outlay from 2019 as an investment beyond his wildest dreams.

A Philosophy That Isn't Up for Negotiation

What stands out about Como isn't just the meteoric rise. It's that the club built a clear soccer identity: possession, high pressing, clean buildup from the back. Last season, against Atalanta, it racked up 79% possession of the ball. Off the field, the club only signs players hungry for success and humble in nature, according to its own internal manual.

President Mirwan Suwarso laid it out clearly in a report from the British newspaper The Guardian: they didn't want to join the trend of groups that own multiple clubs. They preferred to chart their own path.

That path has a name in the club's scouting operation: Barend Verkerk, a 32-year-old Dutchman who as a kid used to build squads in the video game Football Manager and export the data to spreadsheets. Today he leads a recruitment department with a data analyst, six full-time scouts, three tactical analysts and two sports psychologists.

Nico Paz, the Flag Bearer of a New Era

Nico Paz's case sums up the club's change in status. At the player's own request, Real Madrid agreed to let him stay at Como for 2026-2027, though it kept a buyback option for the following season. Como no longer needs to convince anyone to come; now it has the arguments to keep its own players from wanting to leave.

The squad blends youth and experience. Perrone arrived from Manchester City; Jacobo Ramon (21) from Real Madrid; Alex Valle (22) from Barcelona; Croatian Martin Baturina (21) and Senegalese Assane Diao (20), who came from Real Betis. The captain, Frenchman Lucas Da Cunha, is 25 and was bought for just 3 million euros in early 2023. To balance out the locker room, Fabregas brought in former teammates like Pepe Reina, Raphael Varane, Alvaro Morata and Sergi Roberto. Varane, now retired, remains tied to the club as an investor and executive. Thierry Henry is another notable minority shareholder.

Among this season's new arrivals is English defender Trevoh Chalobah, who joined from Chelsea for around 30 million euros, along with Luis Milla from Getafe and 19-year-old Mattia Liberali from Catanzaro.

The Same Formula, Now With Champions League Stakes

In this season's league opener, a 1-1 draw against Udinese, Como lined up with Butez; Valle, Ramon, Chalobah and Couto; Milla and Perrone; Rodriguez, Baturina and Paz; Douvikas. The usual 4-2-3-1 setup remains untouched. Nico Paz, named Serie A's best midfielder last season, remains the club's freest piece: attacking midfielder, occasional winger or attacking partner, depending on what the match calls for.

The 2025-2026 season delivered another number backing up the club's soccer philosophy: Como scored 65 goals and conceded just 29 across 38 matchdays, attacking numbers topped only by champion Inter and the best defensive record in the league.

Beyond the Pitch

The club has also built a brand off the field. Designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, founder of RHUDE, has overseen the club's style identity since late 2024, with jerseys produced by Adidas, while the Italian house Brioni dresses the squad and coaching staff. On top of that, Como is aiming to be profitable within two years, even offering its data analysis systems as a service to other sports organizations.

The Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, with a capacity of 12,064 and completed in 1927, is planning an expansion to keep pace with this growth. A club that just seven years ago was bankrupt in Serie D now competes among Europe's elite, on the shores of a lake, without losing along the way the idea that made it grow.