Jean-Christophe Deveney (Hyères, France, 1977) had an idea nagging at him: to create a good comic about football that could critique the darker side of the sport while simultaneously expressing the love it inspires, a game where idealism still has a place. But this writer and comic book scriptwriter often found doors closed to him, even though France is the land where comics are most valued. But football was losing that battle and couldn't break through the defenses of the European comic book industry, beyond older titles like Eric Castle.