Como launch "most beautiful team photo ever" to raise money for cancer charity

15 September 2023 , 16:47

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Serie B side Como's eye-catching team photo for the season is based on the style of a Caravaggio painting.

It is some way different to the standard three-row shot on the halfway line as Italian side Como set themselves the challenge of creating “the most beautiful team photo ever” seen as part of a new charity initiative.

And the Serie B club, part-owned by Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, have gone with a renaissance theme after announcing that all profits from online sales of the image will go to a local cancer charity founded by a father who lost his son to leukaemia.

The mission of the charity, set up by Andrea Ciccioni after losing his son Luca in 2011, is to fund research for cellular immunotherapy with CAR-T cells, offering new hope to children battling the disease.

The team photo is in the style of a Caravaggio painting, while there were also individual portraits taken of players. Como’s current squad includes former Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone and former Manchester United youth product Nicholas Ioannou, a Cyprus international who also featured for Nottingham Forest before moving to Italy.

Upon the launch of the picture this afternoon Mirwan Suwarso, an official representative of the ownership group, said: "Como is a small Italian club, but it is one of the most beautiful location in the world, so in all of our activities we do our best to reflect that. Best in fashion, best in style and one day best on the field.

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“For our team photo we tasked Italian photographer Lucia Giacani to bring back the classic Caravaggio painting style into our team photo, balancing light and shadows to create an iconic collectable for our our fans, football and photography aficionados alike, all in aid of an important charity that’s very close to our hearts."

Fabregas spent the final year of his playing career at the club and has recently began his coaching career in their academy.

In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football last season, Henry said that he would take a hands-off approach to his investment but was available to provide advice whenever required. The former Arsenal star recently took over as France Under-21 head coach.

Alan Smith