Stars of the World Cup Come to Life in Comic Book Form

With an athlete-driven focus, Club Legacyz is looking to re-define soccer cards.

Erling Haaland Club Legacyz Shonen Collection | Club Legacyz

The World Cup has come and gone, but the hype around soccer in the hobby is still at a fevered pitch. While Panini is still getting out Road to the World Cup sets, an up-and-comer in the hobby has been working on licensed national team cards of some of the biggest stars at the World Cup.

Club Legacyz is a European company with an interesting philosophy for making cards and the designs to match.

A Unique Idea for a Unique Brand

"At Club Legacyz, we are redefining the connection between athletes and their fans, collaborating with the greatest legends and rising stars in sport." That's the motto on the "About Us" section of Club Legacyz website. I reached out to Founder Noé Fraidenraich about the latest drops released after the World Cup.

Club Legacyz directly involved the athletes in the design of their cards. It allows them to reflect the style and personality of the athletes and give them ownership in the card as well.

"For me and my partners it was nonsense that athletes didn't have the final say on the design of their own cards. This is the main difference with Club Legacyz Icons Football Cards. They get to choose the designs and their collections," said Fraidenraich.

He added, "We found that players are like you and me. It is always cool to participate in a creative process, especially when it is about you and it is a turnkey process that is super fluid."

Club Legacyz Bradley Barcola Whatsapp | Club Legacyz

On the website, they have a Whatsapp conversation which French star Bradley Barcola showing the process.

Erling Haaland shared some memes about him looking like a One Piece character, and the new release fits that mold.

The New Manga-Style Release

The new Manga-style release features some of the top stars from the World Cup, including Erling Haaland of Norway, Kenan Yildiz of Turkey, Fabian Ruiz of Spain, Jeremy Doku of Belgium, Luka Modric of Croatia, and more.

"In full transparency, Manga is not the favorite collection, both for our collectors and our partnered athletes. I think the favorite one is the Legamon for athletes. Collectors love the Ikigoal (inspired by Captain Tsubasa), the Legamon, and the Shonen. But don't get me wrong, both also love the Comic Book collection," Fraidenraich said.

The Legamon design plays off a classic Pokémon design and adds the legend on the card.

Players get to pick their "monster," and then they are transformed into one to match their style and identity on the field.

The latest release, available on their website and at a few select online retailers, is the new Icons Football Cards 4 World Heroes, priced at $320. A box contains 10 cards, including one autograph. Manga and Legamon designs are available in this latest release as well.

Possibility of getting a signed card by Erling Haaland, Enzo Fernandez, Mesut Ozil, Jérémy Doku, Luis Suarez, Mike Maignan, Marcus Rashford, Kenan Yildiz, Rafael Leão, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Luka Modric, Roberto Carlos and many other football legends & current stars!