26 Great Manga About Soccer You Need to Read

Football is hands down the most popular sport on the planet. It has billions of fans worldwide who tune in almost every weekend of the year to watch games. This glorious form of entertainment, like several others, has been depicted several times in manga. Some manga about football do much better than others. Today’s article covers a list of manga about soccer that are worth a read. They include;

• Farewell, My Dear Cramer
• Ganbare Kickers
• Akakichi no Eleven
• Ginga e kickoff
• Clean Freak! Aoyama Kun!!
• Fantasista Stella
• Giant Killing
• Golden Kids
• Legendary Blue Shot
• Ao Ashi
• Captain Tsubasa
• Inazuma Eleven
• Blue Lock
• Victory Kickoff
• The Knight In The Area
• Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
• Whistle!
• Days
• Be Blues! Ao Ni Nare
• Offside
• Angel Voice
• The Build Up
• Kattobi Itto
• Tiempo
• Chain of Pearls
• Uwasa no Midori-Kun

Great Manga about SoccerCaptain Tsubasa

Farewell, My Dear Cramer

The standout players on their respective middle school girls’ soccer teams are Sumire Su and Midori Soshizaki. As they enter high school, they join a diverse group of other new ladies at Warabi Seinan High School in the hopes of improving the school’s often mediocre sports team.

They must find a way to overcome formidable new foes, including other nationally rated school soccer teams and their own school’s administration, with the aid of former Nadeshiko Japan star and current coach Naoko Nomi.

Ganbare Kickers

Having recently relocated to a new town, young Kakeru Daichi (Rudy in the French version) is the main character. He decides to join his school’s football squad, in this instance Kitahara, which desperately needs a striker because he has a deep interest in the game.

In fact, this crew had suffered a number of setbacks and humiliations and wished to break the hellish cycle. Even worse, the opposition didn’t even want to play them.

The squad will gradually learn to rebuild itself and create a more appealing game while interacting with Kakeru. The Kitahara team now aspires to demonstrate their capabilities and, why not, triumph in the inter-school competition.

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Manga About Soccer: Akakichi no Eleven 

In Shinsei High School, a suburb of Tokyo, the action is set. In this anime about soccer, the eager and restless first-year student Shingo Tamai is one of the pupils. He first encounters the new soccer team coach at the start of the academic year.

This coach, Tenpei Matsuki is a former goalie for the Japanese national football team. Matsuki wants to assemble a group that is capable of competing at the top levels. Many squad members, including Shingo, first find his demanding workouts to be too hard. Shingo makes the decision to disband the “official” team and form his own. 

After a first triumph, he is consistently beaten by Matsuki’s team, whom Shingo starts to view as an unbeatable foe. Shingo will eventually take the helm of the official school squad led by Matsuki once the two are able to resolve their tense relationship.

Ginga e Kickoff

Sixth grader Oota Shou, a bad soccer player, learns that his team, the “Momoyama Predators,” would be disbanded due to a shortage of players. Soon after that, he runs across Takatou Erika while she and her dog Zach are playing soccer at a park. Shou invites Erika to join his squad.

Together, they begin recruiting athletes for an upcoming competition with the goal of dominating the Galaxy.

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Manga About Soccer: Clean Freak! Aoyama Kun!!

The protagonist of this anime about soccer is Aoyama, a first-year student, who participated in U16 games prior to joining the soccer team as a midfielder. Because of his mysophobia, he is a clean freak and plays soccer in a manner that involves only the most delicate physical touch with opposing players and the ball.

Sayonara Football

The Fantasista Stella manga is a continuation of the first Fantasista manga. The first manga follows Teppei Sakamoto, a young player on his high school soccer team, as he strives for greatness.

When Teppei and colleague Keisuke Honda set their sights on the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil throughout the summer, Fantasista Stella picks up the narrative.

Giant Killing

In Japan’s premier football league, a little squad is having trouble. The squad is currently experiencing a terrible run in which they are close to the bottom of the table and have dropped 5 straight games. The team’s morale was already low, thus the losses had little impact on it.

On the other hand, the outlook for fan support is dismal. A football team’s demise is imminent once the fans turn against them. Teams never bounce back. Teams fall to lower divisions after coaches are fired, players are traded, and they are never successful against even mediocre top-division opponents. ETU, East Tokyo United, can currently only point the finger at their coach.

The Coach is prepared to utilize the upcoming game to demonstrate to his players and fans that he can lead this team to victory over the largest club in the country. This isn’t only a manga about soccer but also one about underdogs.

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Manga About Soccer: Golden Kids

This anime about soccer was written by Yoichi Takahasi. The Koganedai danchi football club (FC) Golden Kids, a boys’ football team in this tale, is so diminutive and ineffective that it hasn’t ever triumphed in a game since it was founded.

Adults from the school and the housing complex suggest dissolving it since it keeps losing. The team’s captain and goalkeeper, Goru Kitagawa, refuses to disband the group, claiming that in football, practice makes perfect. While Goru’s transfer is scheduled for one month from now, his buddies start to band together and the Golden Kids’ new mission to win their first game begins.

Legendary Blue Shot

In high school, Yoshiharu Kubo, Toshihiko “Toshi” Tanaka’s idol, plays soccer for the same team. The Kakenishi Golden Trio was the name given to Toshi and his buddies Kenji Shiraishi and Kazuhiro Hiramatsu when they played together in junior high.

His pals no longer want to play soccer now that they are in high school. Hiramatsu’s father makes him study so that he will grow up to be a decent adult. Shiraishi, on the other hand, gave up soccer after losing his cool and starting a brawl that led to their team’s disqualification.

They ultimately decided to join the Kakegawa High School soccer team because they enjoy playing in the Golden Trio and playing soccer.

When Kake-High soccer club lost its leader and star goalscorer Yoshiharu Kubo, tragedy struck. With less than ten minutes remaining in the semifinal game against Kakekita, they were trailing 1-2. When Kubo made the decision to try to tie the game, he was playing defense.

After receiving possession of the ball on his side of the field, Kubo raced past every Kakekita player to score the equalizing goal. Kubo passed away after the game after collapsing following the goal. Kake-final High’s winning goal was scored by Toshi, making the final score 2-3.

It is a unique manga about soccer as it also deals with the loss of loved ones and is definitely worth reading.

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Ao Ashi

The protagonist of this manga about football is a young, promising soccer player from a small town in Japan named Ashito Aoi. When he causes an incident during a crucial game for his team, which results in their loss and elimination from the tournament, his chances of getting into a high school with a good soccer club are crushed.

Nevertheless, he attracts the attention of a significant individual who just so happens to be in town from Tokyo. This individual happens to be Tatsuya Fukuda, a coach for Tokyo City Esperion FC, one of the major J-League clubs’ young teams. He sees potential in Ashito after spending time with him and teaching him a few skills, so he extends an invitation to the tryouts.

Ashito travels across the huge metropolis, hoping that his ambition of becoming a professional is still alive.

Manga About Soccer: Captain Tsubasa

Since 1981, Yoichi Takahashi has authored and illustrated the Japanese manga series Captain Tsubasa. The topic of the series is Tsubasa Oozora and association football in general. The series is known for its spectacular and energetic football plays, which are frequently elegant and unbelievable.

The story revolves around Tsubasa’s friendships, his battles with his rivals, his training, his competition, and the action and result of each football game. The plot of the various Captain Tsubasa series demonstrates Tsubasa and his allies’ development as they deal with fresh foes.

Due to how it helped popularize association football in Japan, Captain Tsubasa became one of the most well-known manga and anime series ever created.

It is easily the most iconic on our list of manga about soccer. If you like manga, you may be tempted to visit Captain Tsubasa Town in Japan where you will find Bronze Statues of the team members and even a Captain Tsubasa-themed restaurant

Inazuma Eleven

Based on a line of video games produced by Level-5, Tenya Yabuno’s Inazuma Eleven is a Japanese manga series. Having six teammates on his squad, Raimon Jr. High’s Endou Mamoru is a jovial goalkeeper.

If the team loses its match against Teikoku Gakuen, the best team in Japan, it faces dissolution. Endou recruits four more players in an effort to preserve the team. In the second season, Endou and his squad must assemble players to vanquish Aliea Gakuen, the game’s new foe.

The manga continues with his adventures with the team as they face more battles that will face them as they grow in their world of football.

 It is also one of the most popular manga about soccer.

The total manga series includes;

Main series

• Inazuma Eleven (2008)
• I. Eleven 2 (2009)
• Inazuma Eleven 3 (2010)
• I. Eleven: Victory Road of Heroes (2023)

Inazuma Eleven Go

• Inazuma Eleven GO (2011)
• I. Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone (2012)
• Inazuma Eleven GO: Galaxy (2013)

Spin-offs

• Inazuma Eleven Strikers
• Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme
• I. Eleven GO Strikers 2013
• Inazuma Eleven 1, 2, 3!! The Legend of Mamoru Endou (compilation)
• Inazuma Eleven Everyday
• I. Eleven Online
• Inazuma Eleven Dash
• LINE Puzzle de Inazuma Eleven
• Inazuma Eleven SD

Blue Lock

The Japanese national soccer team placed 16th at the FIFA World Cup in 2018. As a result, the mysterious soccer player Ego Jinpachi is hired by the Japanese Football Union. His grand strategy to make Japan a global power is Blue Lock, a training program meant to produce the finest egotist striker in the world.

Failure at Blue Lock will result in a lifetime ban from representing Japan. Unknown high school soccer player Yoichi Isagi decides to enroll in the program in an effort to surpass all other players in the world. Isagi is divided about his playing style. It is a relatively more recent manga about soccer but it is quite popular already.

Victory Kickoff

Victory Kickoff depicts the struggles of a little child named Shou who loves soccer despite the fact that he isn’t very good at it. Shou’s desire to be a member of a soccer squad is severely damaged when the manager decides to dissolve it.

He is left feeling helpless, but after playing against a female professional soccer player, he acquires a lot of momentum. Shou is inspired by the game and resolves to assemble a new team. His capacity for mental toughness is put to the test as he searches for new players.

As the narrative progresses, Shou begins to improve his soccer skills, which ultimately aids him in leading his team to victory.

The Knight In The Area

The Knight in the Area provides a glimpse of Kakeru Aizawa’s emotional journey. Kakeru breaks his leg on a fateful day, forcing him to take on the role of manager. Kakeru is happy with his job, but everything changes when he and his brother are involved in an accident. His brother’s heart is inserted into Kakeru in order to save him.

Kakeru starts to regret his choice to accept a managerial role once he realizes the full scope of what has occurred. He ultimately decides to pursue a career in soccer in order to realize his brother’s wish for Japan to win the World Cup. Kakeru must train harder than everyone else because he lacks his brother’s innate talent.

Hungry Heart: Wild Striker

The great manga about soccer was adapted into an anime series. The 52 episodes of the series were broadcast from September 2002 to their conclusion in 2003.

Hungry Heart: Wild Striker centers on Jyoyo Orange High School student Kano Kyosuke, a high school student. The older brother of Kyosuke is an A.C. Milan soccer player. The fact that Kyosuke’s older brother taught him everything he knew about soccer played a big part in his life. Kyosuke eventually lost interest in soccer when many around him began to compare him to his older brother.

However, things started to change as he enrolled at Jyoyo Orange High School, and he rediscovered his passion for the sport.

Whistle!

The popular manga series Whistle! was created by Daisuke Higuchi. It centers on the youthful Kazamatsuri Shou, who aspires to play professional soccer.

His incapacity to play soccer at a high level is what stands in the way of his desire the most. But he begins honing his skills once he enrolls in Sakura Jousui High. His teammates’ and friends’ encouragement enables him to go closer to his goal.

Days

Days, a soccer manga by Tsuyoshi Yasuda, centers on the conflict between two youngsters named Tsukushi and Jin on a personal level. Tsukushi is disregarded by everyone around him since he is thought to be talentless. Jin, on the other hand, is regarded as a genius who is qualified to succeed at the greatest level.

One fateful day, the two lads cross paths, but they have no idea that their fates will be intertwined.

Be Blues! Ao Ni Nare

In the manga series Be Blues Ao ni Nare, Ryuu Ichijou, a protagonist, dreams of playing soccer for Japan’s national team. Up until Ryuu tries to save his companion from being struck by a car, everything appears to be going according to plan.

Ryuu is sidelined and forced to wait two years before he can resume playing because of the injuries he suffers. After the incident, Ryuu joins his high school’s soccer team and begins the arduous process of healing.

Offside

Goro, one of the best goalkeepers, wants to enroll in a prominent institution to further develop his abilities. However, his desire is not realized, and as a result, he enrolls in a different school. He discovers several other exceptional players at that school, much to his amazement, and together they form one of the most talented high school teams.

Angel Voice

Ranzan School is in difficulty since the director of the biggest department has threatened to disband the school’s cherished football team.

In a last-ditch effort, the management employs Tetsuo Kuroki as a new football coach, who handpicks the most talented kids to create a team that can triumph despite all odds.

Shingo Narita, a rough-around-the-edges character who is constantly willing to defend his buddies, is one of the four gifted kids.

Kuroki’s love for soccer is rekindled when he accepts an invitation to join the squad, and he sees an opportunity to impart to the team important lessons about cooperation and problem-solving.

They will discover via soccer that success isn’t just about scoring goals, but also about collaborating with others to achieve a common objective.

The Build Up

Prior to an accidental contact with soccer on television, Maru Kang was simply another kid leading an ordinary life. His love for the game is suddenly rekindled, and he decides to pursue his dream of becoming a soccer superstar.

His reputation as the “King of the Losers” in his high school means there is a catch, though.

Kattobi Itto

Since they were young children, Katori Itto and Yura Kazuma have been at each other’s throats. Small and feisty Itto has always had a fight with Kazuma, who is huge and cruel. Itto’s resentment only grew after Kazuma left him with a painful scar from a fight five years prior.

Itto has returned to Japan after spending years abroad with his father, where he unintentionally finds himself on Kazuma’s soccer squad at Seiga Middle School. Funny things happen as this unusual team faces off against other middle school teams in the race to be the best in Japan.

Tiempo

Yuzuki Seto is a football player who cries a lot yet still manages to make a miracle play. When Keisuke Asami, who is a year older than Seto, joins the soccer team, things take a drastic change from what had been his happy life of soccer in middle school.

The days of serenity on the field are about to be replaced with ferocious competition and passionate ranting as Asami is about to turn Seto’s world on its head.

Chain of Pearls

Soccer combined with rom-com is something else! This pairing is simply divine. The plot of this anime might resemble that of the well-known rom-com Kaichou wa Maid-sama.

By now, the plot would be obvious to most of the audience! Yes, the protagonist of this anime is a girl named Hisa who plays on the school’s soccer team and, naturally, works part-time at a place she shouldn’t. And the rest of the narrative

Anyhow, if you’re looking for some healthy, not-too-aggressive soccer, this manga is a terrific read.

Uwasa no Midori-Kun

One more interesting tale for the list. The narrative centers on Yamete Midori, a resident of a popular tourist destination. One day, Hino Tsukasa, a boy, visits her island for a vacation.

Midori learns soccer from him and eventually starts to like it right away. Then what happened? You should definitely read the manga right away to discover more about their adventures

Shudan!

The Hamanishi FC soccer squad, which Shudan introduces to us, initially appears to be a typical soccer team. On the other hand, some members of that squad have the capacity to polish up into diamonds. The lads only accept Akira, the lone girl on the squad, when she exhibits exceptional talent. Can this unusual group of players become the greatest soccer team ever?

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