Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División.
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| Full name | Danubio Fútbol Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | La Franja Los de la Curva La Universidad del Fútbol Uruguayo | |||
| Founded | 1 March 1932 | |||
| Ground | Jardines del Hipódromo María Mincheff de Lazaroff, Montevideo, Uruguay | |||
| Capacity | 11,018 | |||
| Chairman | Jorge Lorenzo | |||
| Manager | Alejandro Apud | |||
| League | Primera División | |||
| 2023 | Primera División, 8th of 16 | |||
| Website | http://www.danubio.org.uy/index_1.html | |||
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Founded in 1945, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity of 19,450.
History
editDanubio was founded by the Bulgarian-born brothers Mihail (Miguel) and Ivan (Juan) Lazaroff on 1 March 1932 together with other youths from the "Republica de Nicaragua" school in Montevideo.[1] The club's name is a reference to the Danube river, the second-longest river in Europe. It was proposed by Mihail and Ivan's mother, María Mincheff de Lazaroff. Initially, she suggested the club be named after a different river in Bulgaria – Maritsa. However, the proposal was not approved, as the name was viewed as too feminine.[2][3]
Danubio won its first league title in 1988 with a fantastic young squad that included Rubén da Silva, who was the league's top scorer that season with 23 goals.[4] This title gave the club qualification to its first Copa Libertadores, the 1989 Copa Libertadores, where they reached the semi-finals and had their best continental tournament participation. Their campaign started in Group 5, where they finished second with three wins and three losses. In the round of 16, the club beat fellow Uruguayan powerhouse Nacional 3–1 on aggregate, and in the quarter-finals, they beat Chilean club Cobreloa 4–1 on aggregate. In the semi-finals, they faced Colombian club Atlético Nacional; the first leg in Montevideo finished in a 0–0 draw, but Atletico Nacional dominated the second leg with a 6–0 victory, eliminating Danubio from the tournament.[5]
Danubio won its second league title in 2004 by beating Nacional with a last minute backheel goal scored by Diego Perrone. Although the squad lost the first leg 4–1, Danubio won the title by placing first in the Clausura and in the Annual table.
The club won its third league title in the 2006 Apertura after defeating Peñarol 4–1 in December 2006.[6] Danubio went into the final matchday with 31 points behind Peñarol, who was first with 32 points. This meant Danubio had to win the match to secure the league title, and Peñarol would only need a draw to win the title. Peñarol scored first, but then Danubio turned the score around to secure the top position in the league table with a very young Edinson Cavani scoring the last goal. In the following season, the 2007 Clausura, the club defeated Peñarol again on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time.[7] With this title, Danubio became the first club to win both Apertura and Clausura tournaments since Nacional did in the 1998 season.
Danubio won their fourth Uruguayan league title in the 2013–14 season by defeating Montevideo Wanderers on penalties after extra time in the second leg of the final that finished 2–2 with a last minute bicycle kick equalizer from Camilo Mayada.
Colours and badge
editIn 1932, the club decided to take Montevideo Wanderers' kit and colours (black and white) as homage to them being the last amateur champion of Uruguay in 1931. Later when entering a zonal league they planned to alter the kit design as Universal Ramírez used the same pattern. The current design was inspired by the red diagonal sash over the white kit worn by River Plate, but with the sash in black. The accompanying shorts are typically black (although some seasons they have been white), whilst the accompanying socks are white. In the 2005–06 season, the club wore an unusual green shirt with a white sash as their third kit to play against teams similar in colours (such as Miramar Misiones and Wanderers). In 2007, green was reintroduced in a match against Costa Rican club Saprissa. As of late 2007, it was decided to discontinue use of the green shirt, due to the repetitive defeats against Wanderers and Miramar leading to it being considered a cursed shirt. Red is now used for the third kit. Red and green colors come as alternative colors to the team since Bulgaria's national flag consists of white, green and red.
In late 2019, Danubio introduced a third kit, which pays tribute to the club's Bulgarian roots. The kit's red shirt included white and green horizontal stripes across the chest and sleeves, embodying the Bulgarian tricolour. Further detail, such as a verse of Bulgaria's anthem was also inscribed into the kit.[8]
Stadium
editDanubio play their home matches at the Estadio Jardines del Hipódromo. The venue was opened in 1957 and has a capacity of 18,000 people. In 2017, the club's members voted on a new stadium name; the winning option was María Mincheff de Lazaroff, paying tribute to the mother of the founders of Danubio, Mihail 'Miguel' and Ivan 'Juan' Lazaroff. This became the first football stadium in Uruguay to be named after a woman.[9]
Current squad
edit- As of 15 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Other players under contract
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
editMust have made at least 50 appearances for the club and/or 30 with the national team[5]
Honours
editSenior titles
edit- Keys
- Record
- (s) Shared record
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) |
Primera División | 4 | 1988, 2004, 2006–07, 2013–14 |
| Segunda División | 3 | 1947, 1960, 1970 | |
| Divisional Intermedia | 1 | 1943
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| Divisional Extra | 1 | 1942
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| Half-year / Short tournament (League) |
Torneo Apertura | 3 | 2001, 2006, 2013
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| Torneo Clausura | 3 | 2002, 2004, 2007
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| Torneo Clasificatorio | 1 | 2014
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| National (Cups) |
Copa de Honor Celeste Olímpica | 1 | 2014
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| Torneo Competencia | 1 | 1988
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| Liguilla Pre-Libertadores | 1 | 1983
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Performance in CONMEBOL competitions
edit- Copa Libertadores: 7 appearances
- Copa Sudamericana: 6 appearances
- Copa CONMEBOL: 4 appearances
References
edit- ^ "Danubio's river of talent". FIFA. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
- ^ ""Данубио" никога няма да забрави българските си корени". btvnovinite.bg (in Bulgarian). bTV Media Group. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ Shumanov, Metodi (6 December 2019). "Danubio will never forget its Bulgarian roots". tfmethods.com. The Football Methods. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Uruguay 1988". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 April 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Danubio, la humildad que abrazó la gloria". FIFA. 13 December 2006. Archived from the original on 19 December 2006.
- ^ "Danubio goleó por 4-1 al Peñarol y ganó el título del Apertura". Mediotiempo.com (in Mexican Spanish). 10 December 2006. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Homewood, Brian (18 May 2007). "Soccer-Modest Danubio win Uruguayan championship". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ "Camiseta homenaje a Bulgaria". danubio.org.uy (in Spanish). Danubio Fútbol Club. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Jardines del Hipódromo María Mincheff de Lazaroff". danubio.org.uy (in Spanish). Danubio Fútbol Club. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
External links
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