Why This Set Matters
A highly original collection that combined the Argentine passion for soccer with comic books, TV series, and pop culture icons. It featured 20 Argentine soccer teams — First Division clubs and teams from the interior — each fielding 11 players drawn from famous fictional characters.
Teams drew players from a stunning range of universes: Marvel, DC, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., Walter Lantz, Patoruzito, El Chapulín Colorado, Tarzan, Mandrake, Zorro, and many others. Characters were assigned to teams completely arbitrarily — no logic tied character traits to team placement.
Marvel heroes and villains were spread across the teams: Hulk (#11) and Spider-Man (#6) for River Plate, The Thing (#3) for Boca Juniors, Thor (#5) for Estudiantes de La Plata, Iron Man (#9) for Vélez Sarsfield, Captain America (#8) for Talleres de Córdoba, Mr. Fantastic (#4) for Newell’s Old Boys, and Daredevil (#10) and Human Torch (#3) for Independiente. Villains included Rhino (#11) for Rosario Central, Loki (#5) for Gimnasia, Lizard (#4) for Estudiantes de Santiago, and Green Goblin (#5) for Ferrocarril Oeste.
Each sticker was designed to be cut out, folded in half, and glued together to create a 3D figure that could stand upright on a playing field. Collectors could simulate matches with their chosen teams — making this both a sticker album and a tabletop game.
Félix Saborido, a master illustrator and comic strip creator, drew every character. His hallmark ability to emulate different artistic styles is on full display — each character looks as though taken directly from its original source material.
Originally released in 1982 on stiff matte cardboard. Reissued in 1989 on thinner cardstock and again in 1996 on glossy paper. Characters remained the same across all editions; only paper quality changed.
Set Images
Deep Dive
The 1982 Editorial Hermanos Gran Match de los Superfamosos is one of the most creative and uniquely Argentine entries in the entire vintage Marvel card catalog. The concept is brilliantly simple: take 20 Argentine soccer teams, staff each with 11 famous fictional characters, and let collectors build their own dream teams.
The cross-licensing is remarkable. Marvel heroes share teams with DC characters, Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and Latin American cultural icons like El Chapulín Colorado and Patoruzito. Spider-Man wears the #6 jersey for River Plate alongside Hulk at #11. The Thing plays for Boca Juniors. The assignments follow no character logic whatsoever — it’s pure Argentine fantasy football.
The physical design is equally innovative. Each figure was meant to be cut out and folded into a 3D standing figure, transforming the album from a passive collection into an active tabletop game. Félix Saborido’s illustrations are extraordinary — the master illustrator’s ability to faithfully reproduce each character’s original artistic style makes every figure immediately recognizable.
The set was successful enough to be reissued twice: in 1989 and again in 1996, each time on different paper stock while retaining the original character lineup.
No first appearance / rookie cards documented for this set.