Como 1907 is one of Italy’s oldest football clubs and one of the most distinctive stories in modern football. Founded in 1907 on the shores of Lake Como, the club has spent more than a century navigating triumphs, setbacks, promotions and rebirths while maintaining a strong connection to its city and supporters.
Few clubs combine history, landscape and identity in quite the same way. From the early years of Italian football to memorable Serie A campaigns, from financial difficulties to a remarkable modern revival, Como’s journey reflects both the challenges and the resilience that have shaped football across generations.
Through this section, The Como Football Journal explores the people, matches, places and moments that have defined the history of Como 1907 and continue to influence the club today.
The Origins
Founded in 1907, Como quickly became a central sporting institution within the city. Football was rapidly growing throughout Italy, and the club established itself as an important presence in Lombardy, building foundations that would support more than a century of competition.
1927-1945
The Como of the Invincibles
In 1926, the Italian authorities required Como and Esperia to merge into a single club, creating Associazione Calcio Comense. Under the guidance of Gustavo Carrer, the new team began its journey in the Prima Divisione. A defining moment arrived on 30 July 1927, when Prince Umberto of Savoy officially inaugurated the newly built Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, which remains the home of Como to this day.
In 1931, coached by the Hungarian manager Gedeon Lukács, the club won the Prima Divisione title and secured promotion to Serie B without losing a single match, an extraordinary achievement that has never been matched in the club’s history.
Como remained in Serie B until 1935 under first Adolfo Baloncieri and later Cevenini III. However, renewed financial difficulties led to relegation to Promozione in 1936. During this period, the name Comense was abandoned and the club officially became Associazione Calcio Como.
The outbreak of the Second World War interrupted regular league competition, but not the city’s passion for football. While continuing to compete in Serie C, Como achieved one of the most remarkable results of the era by winning the Lombard Tournament in 1945, finishing ahead of both Inter and Milan.
1946-1953
Serie A and the Great All-Italian Como
The appointment of Eraldo Monzeglio in 1946 marked the beginning of a new era. His attacking philosophy transformed the team’s style of play, while his commitment to youth development laid the foundations for what would become one of the club’s greatest strengths for decades to come.
Monzeglio was succeeded by Mario Varglien, who introduced the renowned tactical system known simply as the Sistema. Combining attractive football with consistent results, Varglien guided Como to first place in Serie B and promotion to Serie A with several matches to spare.
The club’s first season back in the top flight proved historic. Como finished sixth, still the highest league finish in the club’s history. Key figures included captain Stua, alongside Travia, Rabitti, Lipizer, Pedroni, Maesani and Ghiandi. Remarkably, Como was the only team in Serie A composed entirely of Italian players. United both on and off the pitch, this group remained together for four consecutive seasons in the top division.
In the 1950-51 campaign, Como finished eighth and recorded notable results against some of Italy’s strongest sides, defeating Inter and drawing with Milan’s famous Gre-No-Li trio, who would go on to win the league title that season. Yet the team’s most celebrated achievement came in Turin, where Como stunned Juventus and Giampiero Boniperti with a commanding 3-0 victory. The result made national headlines and remains one of the greatest wins in club history.
Varglien left the club in 1951, and Como concluded the following season in twelfth place. The 1952-53 campaign brought an end to this memorable era, as the team, managed by Roberto Winkler, was relegated to Serie B. Despite the disappointment, those years established the foundations of one of the most admired periods in Como’s history and cemented the legacy of the legendary Great All-Italian Como.
1954-1975
Meroni, Innovation and the Return to Serie A
Following relegation in 1953, Como spent the next decade in Serie B, coming close to promotion on several occasions under the guidance of Mario Lamanna. The defining figure of that period was Giuseppe Baldini, one of the club’s most respected players, who ended his playing career in 1961 before taking charge as head coach until 1963.
The 1960-61 season also witnessed the emergence of a young talent who would become a legend in Como’s history: Gigi Meroni. A product of the club’s youth academy, Meroni made his first-team debut at just eighteen years old. Gifted with extraordinary creativity, technical ability and unpredictability, he is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to wear the Azzurri shirt. His career and life were tragically cut short by a road accident at the age of twenty-four, yet his legacy endures. Even today, the number 7 shirt carries special significance among Como supporters.
A dramatic setback arrived in 1963 when the club was relegated to Serie C after being penalised for fielding Paolo Bessi in five matches despite a suspension. Como’s return to Serie B would not come until the 1967-68 season, achieved under coach Franco Viviani.
The following years laid the groundwork for a remarkable transformation. While the team performed strongly in Serie B, the real turning point came in 1971 with the arrival of sporting director Giancarlo Beltrami and head coach Eugenio Bersellini. Nicknamed the “B-B Team” by supporters, after the initials of the two architects of the project, Como quickly became one of the league’s most competitive sides and narrowly missed promotion.
Another revolution followed in 1973 when Pippo Marchioro took charge. His ideas were innovative and unconventional for the time, turning Como into one of Italian football’s most intriguing experimental projects. The team began adopting early forms of zonal marking, while sports psychology and motivation became integral parts of the training environment. Goalkeeper Antonio Rigamonti even became the club’s designated penalty taker, a rare sight in professional football during that era.
Como’s innovative approach attracted national media attention and delivered impressive results on the pitch. Led by a young Marco Tardelli, one of Beltrami’s most important discoveries, the team completed its rise in 1975 by securing promotion to Serie A after a dramatic title race that went down to the final matchday against Verona.
The achievement marked the end of more than two decades of rebuilding and signalled the beginning of a new chapter, one that would eventually pave the way for some of the most memorable years in the club’s history.
1976-1989
Double Promotions and the Legendary 1980s
After twenty-two years away from the top flight, Como finally returned to Serie A in 1975. The achievement, however, was followed by significant changes, with both coach Pippo Marchioro and rising star Marco Tardelli leaving the club. Despite these departures, Como enjoyed an impressive 1976-77 campaign, finishing sixth in Serie A and confirming its place among Italy’s most competitive sides.
The momentum did not last. A rapid decline saw the club suffer successive relegations, falling all the way to Serie C within two seasons. Faced with a crisis, Como turned once again to Marchioro. His return proved decisive. The experienced manager guided the club to back-to-back promotions, an extraordinary recovery that restored Como to Serie A and re-established confidence throughout the club.
The 1980-81 season brought an opportunity on the international stage as Como took part in the Mitropa Cup, one of Central Europe’s historic club competitions. The team finished level on points with both a Czechoslovak and a Hungarian side but narrowly missed out on the trophy due to goal difference. At the same time, Como secured another respectable Serie A campaign and appeared ready to build for the future.
Expectations were high, but the following season ended in disappointment. After Marchioro’s departure, the club was relegated once again to Serie B. The 1982-83 Serie B season was particularly competitive, featuring traditional giants such as Milan and Lazio. Como performed admirably, finishing level on points with Catania and Cremonese, but missed out on promotion after a playoff defeat to Catania.
The setback proved only temporary. In 1983, new president Benito Gattei assembled a talented and ambitious squad, while coach Tarcisio Burgnich led the team back to Serie A at the first attempt. What followed became one of the most memorable periods in the club’s history.
From 1984 to 1989, Como established itself as a respected Serie A side, securing five consecutive seasons in the top division. During these years, the club not only competed successfully against some of Italy’s biggest teams but also strengthened its reputation as an excellent environment for developing young talent. Numerous players used Como as a platform before going on to successful careers at larger clubs across Italy.
Several respected managers left their mark during this era, including Ottavio Bianchi, Emiliano Mondonico, Rino Marchesi, and Aldo Agroppi. Each brought a distinct tactical approach, yet all embraced the club’s philosophy of combining competitive football with the development of promising young players.
The 1980s remain one of the defining decades in Como’s history: a period of resilience, innovation and stability that firmly established the club’s identity within Italian football and created memories still celebrated by supporters today.
1990-2009
The Preziosi Era, Bankruptcy and the Road Back
The two decades between 1990 and 2009 were among the most turbulent in Como’s history, marked by dramatic highs, painful setbacks and remarkable recoveries.
From 1990 to 2001, Como spent ten seasons in Serie C, interrupted only by the 1994-95 campaign in Serie B. That promotion came after a memorable playoff victory over SPAL in Verona and was achieved under the management of Marco Tardelli, one of the club’s greatest former players. Tardelli’s return generated enthusiasm among supporters, but the experience in Serie B proved short-lived. Following relegation, he left the club to continue his coaching career elsewhere.
The turning point arrived at the start of the new millennium. Determined to restore Como’s status within Italian football, president Enrico Preziosi invested heavily in the project after several unsuccessful promotion attempts. His persistence paid off in the 2000-01 season, when Como finally secured a return to Serie B.
What followed was one of the most extraordinary achievements in club history. Under head coach Loris Dominissini and inspired by the performances of striking star Luís “Lulù” Oliveira, Como achieved a second consecutive promotion, reaching Serie A in 2002. The accomplishment made Como the first Italian club to secure promotion from the third division to the top flight on two separate occasions through back-to-back promotions, a remarkable feat that underlined the club’s resilience and ambition.
The return to Serie A, however, proved difficult. The 2002-03 campaign was overshadowed by the departure of Oliveira and growing tensions surrounding Preziosi’s relationship with the wider Italian football establishment. Results on the pitch reflected the instability, and relegation soon became unavoidable. At the end of the season, the club once again found itself facing an uncertain future.
Financial difficulties continued to mount in the years that followed. Unable to maintain a competitive squad, Como slipped down the divisions and entered one of the darkest periods in its history. The crisis ultimately culminated in bankruptcy, forcing the club to cease operations and restart from the amateur ranks.
In the 2005-06 season, Como began again in Serie D, effectively rebuilding from scratch. The first years were challenging, but the club gradually regained momentum. Success arrived under coach Ninni Corda, who guided Como to promotion in 2007-08 while also delivering the Serie D Coppa Italia, an important milestone in the club’s recovery.
The following season brought another memorable achievement. Managed by Stefano Di Chiara, Como secured a second consecutive promotion by overcoming Alessandria in a dramatic playoff final. Once again, the club had completed a double promotion, climbing rapidly back through the Italian football pyramid and restoring hope to supporters after years of uncertainty.
By 2009, Como had emerged from bankruptcy and begun rebuilding its place within professional football, setting the stage for the next chapter in the club’s long and eventful history.
2009-2024
A New Beginning: SENT Entertainment and the Return to Serie A
The years between 2009 and 2024 marked one of the most transformative periods in Como’s history. The club experienced promotion battles, financial collapse, a fresh start from the amateur ranks and, ultimately, a remarkable return to the top tier of Italian football.
Between 2009 and 2015, Como competed primarily in Serie C under a succession of ownership groups. After the presidencies of Antonio Di Bari and Amilcare Rivetti, Pietro Porro assumed control of the club in 2012. Three years later, Como achieved a long-awaited breakthrough. Guided by coach Carlo Sabatini, the team won the promotion playoffs after finishing fourth in the league, with striker Simone Andrea Ganz playing a decisive role by scoring 18 goals during the campaign.
The return to Serie B in 2015-16 proved far more difficult than expected. Despite changing managers multiple times and using an unusually large squad throughout the season, Como remained at the bottom of the table from the opening matchday to the final round. Relegation followed, bringing renewed uncertainty both on and off the pitch.
Financial problems soon escalated, eventually leading the club into bankruptcy proceedings. Yet even amid these challenges, the team, led by coach Fabio Gallo, produced a spirited campaign and achieved an unexpected seventh-place finish. Following the club’s collapse, Como was acquired at auction by Akosua Puni Essien, and the organisation was temporarily rebranded as FC Como.
The instability continued when the club failed to secure admission to the following professional championship. As a result, Como was forced to restart from Serie D for the 2017-18 season, beginning another rebuilding process from the lower levels of Italian football.
A decisive turning point arrived on 4 April 2019, when the club was acquired by SENT Entertainment Ltd., the London-based media and entertainment group that remains the owner today. From the outset, the new ownership presented a long-term vision focused on financial stability, infrastructure development, youth investment and sustainable sporting growth. The project extended beyond the first team, embracing improvements to the club’s facilities, academy and the historic Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
The impact was immediate. In its first full season under the new ownership, Como won the Serie D championship, setting a club record for points and earning promotion back to Serie C.
Momentum continued during the challenging 2020-21 season. Despite the difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Como produced an outstanding campaign and secured the Serie C title, earning promotion to Serie B and re-establishing itself within the professional ranks.
The following seasons demonstrated that the club’s resurgence was no temporary success. Throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, Como consolidated its position in Serie B, strengthened its squad and continued to build one of the most ambitious projects in Italian football.
The journey reached its most significant milestone in 2023-24, when Como achieved promotion to Serie A for the first time in more than two decades. The achievement represented the culmination of years of investment, planning and rebuilding, while also marking the beginning of a new era for one of Italy’s most historic football clubs.
From bankruptcy and amateur football to the highest level of the Italian game, Como’s rise stands as one of the most remarkable modern revival stories in European football.