About Us
The Idea Behind Rabona
Football produces moments that are remembered for generations. Yet most of them survive only as short highlights, statistics, or simplified narratives.
Rabona was created to preserve these moments differently.
Instead of focusing on players or trophies, Rabona focuses on the moments themselves: the events that shaped football's emotional history. The playing card format gives each moment a clear place within a larger system, turning the archive into something both collectible and structured. It also allows football history to be experienced in a tangible and shared way. Each card in the archive represents a single moment, interpreted through illustration and accompanied by written context.
Football moments you can hold, remember, and enjoy.
Why "Rabona"
In football, a rabona is a gesture of creativity and risk. A player wraps one leg behind the other to strike the ball, choosing a more difficult and expressive action when a simpler option would suffice.
The name Rabona reflects the same philosophy behind the archive.
Rather than presenting football through statistics or conventional highlights, Rabona takes a more interpretive path. Moments are selected, illustrated, and organized with the intention of revealing their meaning within the game's broader history.
Just like the gesture itself, the archive favors creativity, interpretation, and confidence in the value of the moment.
Our Approach
Rabona is built around a simple idea: football moments deserve context.
The International Archive is carefully curated and organized through four thematic suits, representing different ways the game is experienced: triumph, heartbreak, magic, and the rise of the underdogs.
Within this structure, selected moments are illustrated and accompanied by a digital story booklet that explores their historical and emotional significance.
The project is developed through a collaborative creative process that combines research, design, and storytelling.
The Team
Rabona is developed by a small team from Bulgaria, brought together by a shared interest in football culture and playing cards.
What began as an idea to reinterpret football's defining moments gradually evolved into a structured archive project. The team continues to develop Rabona with the intention of building a lasting collection that grows with the game itself.
Looking Ahead
The International Archive is only the first step.
Future Rabona collections will continue exploring football history through new competitions, moments, and narratives. Each new archive will expand the project while remaining faithful to its core principle: preserving football's defining moments through thoughtful curation and interpretation.