Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and a host of other big Premier League managers recreated in paint as military leaders

Italian artist Pupazzaro started painting as a hobby but now stars of football contact him for portraits – but why has he not bothered with Antonio Conte?

THEY spend their days leading their clubs in pursuit of trophies – but one artist has gone one step further and painted the Premier League‘s biggest managers as actual military generals.

Italian artist Pupazzaro draws footballers in army gear and what was initially a hobby has turned into a business, with players and managers even contacting him for a portrait.

Fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri, who won the title last year with Leicester City is immortalised in army uniform, as is Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho and his fierce city rival Pep Guardiola of Manchester City.

North London rivals Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino are also drawn for when their two sides Arsenal and Spurs go into battle.

And completing the list is a smiling Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool complete with extravagant handlebar moustache.

Pupazzaro is actually Fabrizio Birimbelli, a 43-year-old computer programmer from Rome, who started painting players from his beloved AS Roma in his spare time – before gaining followers asking him for portraits of their idols all over the world.

He told SunSport: “I have painted and drawn since I was a kid and started this kind of stuff earlier this year.

“The choice of these generals is because it gives an epic, but also ironic, view of the football ‘heroes'”.

But there is one manager of Britain’s biggest clubs who is conspicuously absent – Chelsea’s Italian manager Antonio Conte – because Fabrizio, as a huge Roma fan, is not a fan of the former Juventus boss.

He even revealed that he was invited to Roma’s training ground to give a painting to Italy legend Francesco Totti – as well as former Fulham star Clint Dempsey getting in touch for a portrait.

When he sent Ranieri his portrait, he said the former Chelsea boss “liked it very much”. And with good reason.

Pupazzaro also paints footballers, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Hugo Lloris.