Danubio F.C. Explained

Clubname:Danubio
Fullname:Danubio Fútbol Club
Nickname:La Franja
Los de la Curva
La Universidad del Fútbol Uruguayo
Ground:Jardines del Hipódromo
María Mincheff de Lazaroff
,
Montevideo, Uruguay
Capacity:11,018
Chairman:Jorge Lorenzo
Manager:Mario Saralegui
League:Primera División
Season:2023
Position:Primera División, 8th of 16
Website:http://www.danubio.org.uy/
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Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División.

Founded in 1945, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity of 19,450.

History

Danubio 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

In 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

See main article: Estadio Jardines del Hipódromo. Danubio 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

Out on loan

Notable players

Must have made at least 50 appearances for the club and/or 30 with the national team

Honours

Senior titles

Typewidth=250pxCompetitionTitlesWinning years
National
(League)
scope=colPrimera División41988, 2004, 2006–07, 2013–14
Half-year / Short
tournament

(League)
scope=colTorneo Apertura3
scope=colTorneo Clausura3
scope=colTorneo Clasificatorio1
National
(Cups)
scope=colCopa de Honor Celeste Olímpica1
scope=colTorneo Competencia1
scope=colLiguilla Pre-Libertadores1

Other titles

Titles won in lower divisions:

Typewidth=250pxCompetitionTitlesWinning years
National
(League)
scope=colSegunda División31947, 1960, 1970
scope=colDivisional Intermedia1
scope=colDivisional Extra1

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

7 appearances

1978

First Round

1984

First Round

1989

Semi-finals

2005

Group Stage

2007

Preliminary Round

2008

Group Stage

2015

Group Stage

6 appearances

2002

First Round

2003

Preliminary Round

2004

Preliminary Round

2005

First Round

2007

First Round

2012

First Round

2023

Group Stage

4 appearances

1992

First Round

1993

First Round

1994

First Round

1997

Quarter-finals

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . Danubio's river of talent . 23 July 2008 . 13 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090202113404/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/news/newsid%3D831427.html . 2 February 2009.
  2. Web site: "Данубио" никога няма да забрави българските си корени . 5 December 2019 . btvnovinite.bg . bTV Media Group . 19 October 2020 . bg . 5 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201205025457/https://btvnovinite.bg/sport/danubio-nikoga-njama-da-zabravi-balgarskite-si-koreni.html . live .
  3. Web site: Danubio will never forget its Bulgarian roots . Shumanov . Metodi . 6 December 2019 . tfmethods.com . The Football Methods . 19 October 2020 . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024201223/https://www.tfmethods.com/post/danubio-interview . live .
  4. Web site: 28 August 2019. Uruguay 1988. live. 20 November 2021. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20030423025440/http://www.rsssf.com:80/tablesu/uru88.html . 23 April 2003 .
  5. News: 13 December 2006. Danubio, la humildad que abrazó la gloria. FIFA. https://web.archive.org/web/20061219093502/http://www.fifa.com/es/WorldLeagues/index/0,4643,127686,00.html?articleid=127686. 19 December 2006.
  6. Web site: 10 December 2006. Danubio goleó por 4-1 al Peñarol y ganó el título del Apertura. live. 2021-11-20. Mediotiempo.com. es-MX. https://web.archive.org/web/20211120052453/https://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/danubio-goleo-4-1-penarol-gano-titulo-apertura . 20 November 2021 .
  7. Web site: Reuters. Homewood, Brian. Soccer-Modest Danubio win Uruguayan championship. 18 May 2007. 31 August 2009. 3 November 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103041512/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2874692&type=story. live.
  8. Web site: Camiseta homenaje a Bulgaria . danubio.org.uy . Danubio Fútbol Club . 19 October 2020 . es . 20 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201020114835/http://www.danubio.org.uy/uc_2797_1.html . live .
  9. Web site: Jardines del Hipódromo María Mincheff de Lazaroff . danubio.org.uy . Danubio Fútbol Club . 27 October 2020 . es . 30 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201130203948/http://www.danubio.org.uy/uc14_1890_1.html . live .