Many Spanish footballing legends – including Iniesta, Torres, Villa – and others from around the world like Lukas Podolski, Alessandro Del Piero, and Alexis Sanchez, have publicly traced their love of the game back to watching Tsubasa as kids. Over the years, it’s been transformed into 15 serialised mangas, nearly 20 video games, five television series and four films. Known for its unrealistic but jaw-dropping, and sometimes episodes-long, kicks, the series has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. The TV anime series was launched in 1983. His journey begins on an elementary school’s football pitch in Japan and takes him to São Paulo – the show is very popular in Brazil – and Barcelona before the World Cup. The series tells the story of Ozora Tsubasa (Oliver Atom) who dreams of becoming a professional footballer. “Captain Tsubasa” (known as “Oliver y Benji”, “Olive et Tom”, “Supercampeones”, or “Captain Majid” in other parts of the world), is a manga series first published in 1981 by Japanese animator Yōichi Takahashi. He’s the fictional, 11-year-old Japanese boy named Tsubasa. The players, however, may tell you that their hero is not a former Spanish player or even a real person.
The Catalans might say Andrés Iniesta or David Villa, and the Madrileños, Iker Casillas or Fernando Torres.
Spanish football fans may speak their regional bias when asked for their favourite players.
