Issue
N°3
DRAWING LEGENDS
Mahamadou Traoré,
the artist who turns football into comics.
Issue
N°3
Mahamadou Traoré,
the artist who turns football into comics.
Since childhood, Mahamadou Traoré has lived in a world he chose for himself. At the age of 7, while watching an episode of Dragon Ball Z, he discovered Son Goku and his transformation into a Super Saiyan. “It hit me like a slap in the face,” he says. That defining moment opened the door to a universe where drawing became more than just a hobby. Since then, he has approached football through the lens of comics. We met him on the occasion of the release of his book The Super Heroes of Football.
Football has always been another pillar of his youth. The evenings spent with his older brother and his father, watching matches and talking about them, fueled his imagination. His influences are diverse: video games, football wear, museums, art history, theater… and especially kits.
“I particularly love solid colors, the ones that shine, that sparkle. The white of Real Madrid, during Zidane’s era, made me fall in love with the club. But I’m also in love with the deep red of Manchester United.” These colors and visual details become essential elements of his work.
“every match is a movie ”
Mahamadou Traoré
Mahamadou’s first real football drawing dates back to 2020. After several academic failures and disappointments, drawing became a form of release. During lockdown, he came across a highlight of the Liverpool–AC Milan final and realized that “every match is a movie.” Inspired, he began drawing Steven Gerrard, and the creative process was set in motion.
For a long time, his illustrations remained private. It was the support of his younger brother and his wife that convinced him to share his work on social media. “It was something very personal. Many people are surprised when they discover that I’m an illustrator.”
Then came the offer of a book. With full creative freedom, Mahamadou embarked on an ambitious project: 100 players in 10 months. He returned to his favorite themes: players’ superpowers, inspired by the golden age of comics and manga.
An essential dimension of the book? The posters. For him, whether in sports or cinema, a poster is the art of storytelling, of making people want more without revealing everything. Each illustration becomes a small visual manifesto, where every player is magnified and every movement intensified.
Among his personal favorites: Francesco Totti. “He is beautiful, he radiates something. This drawing required me to combine my skills in shadows, perspective, and textures.”
Mahamadou defines his art as versatile, always in search of new techniques, with a strong influence from vintage print. Some illustrations were particularly demanding: Messi vs Mbappé, where he explored a new approach, or Roberto Carlos’ iconic free kick against France, reimagined from the goalkeeper’s perspective.
He also reflects on his first creative shock: the Liverpool–AC Milan final, which he redrew five years later. “Let’s just say my style and abilities have evolved a lot over time.”
Mahamadou, aka AlvaStudio7, doesn’t just reproduce players: he turns every match into an epic scene, every gesture into a narrative movement. We especially recommend his tributes to Cantona or Italian defenders. His work tells football as a parallel universe where players become superheroes, and where every kit, color, and posture tells a story.
Through his book and illustrations, Mahamadou Traoré does much more than draw: he celebrates legends and iconic moments, offering fans a fresh perspective on the game they love. Naturally, NOFC recommends it!
Mahamadou Traoré offers us a fully visual deep dive into the legends of world football.
From young prodigies to master tacticians, fearless strikers, bad boys, and iron-gloved goalkeepers, rediscover more than 80 football legends in their superhero outfits.
