Danubio F.C.

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.

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]

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]

As of 28 August 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  URU Mauro Goicoechea 2 DF  URU Santiago Etchebarne 3 DF  URU Lucas Monzón 5 MF  URU Santiago Silva 6 MF  URU Leandro Sosa 7 FW  URU Facundo Silvera 8 MF  URU Ribair Rodríguez 9 FW  URU Diego Vera 10 MF  URU Guillermo May 12 GK  URU Emiliano Bermúdez 14 MF  URU Juan Millán 15 DF  URU Sergio Rodríguez (captain) 16 DF  URU Alejo Cruz 17 DF  URU Rafael Haller

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  URU Santiago Romero 20 DF  URU Lucas Ferreira 21 DF  URU Martín Rea 22 DF  URU Facundo Saravia 25 DF  URU Kevin Lewis 25 MF  URU Ignacio Pintos 29 MF  COL Jannenson Sarmiento 30 FW  URU Sebastián Fernández 99 MF  URU Francisco Martinicorena -- FW  ARG Mauro Zárate — FW  URU Gonzalo Bueno — MF  URU Franco Faría — FW  COL Vilington Branda

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  URU José Río — MF  URU Facundo Silvestre — MF  URU Máximo Cabral

No. Pos. Nation Player —   —

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player —   —

Must have made at least 50 appearances for the club and/or 30 with the national team[5]

• Álvaro Recoba
• Ruben Sosa,
• Marcelo Zalayeta,
• Rubén da Silva
• Javier Chevantón,
• Fabián Carini,
• Richard Núñez
• Walter Gargano
• Carlos Grossmuller
• Ignacio María González
• Edinson Cavani
• Cristhian Stuani,
• Jose Gimenez
• Camilo Mayada
• Diego Forlán
• Eber Moas

• Copa Libertadores: 7 appearances

1978: First Round

1984: First Round

1989: Semi-finals

2005: Group Stage

2007: Preliminary Round

2008: Group Stage

2015: Group Stage

• Copa Sudamericana: 6 appearances

2002: First Round

2003: Preliminary Round

2004: Preliminary Round

2005: First Round

2007: First Round

2012: First Round

2023: Group Stage

• Copa CONMEBOL: 4 appearances

1992: First Round

1993: First Round

1994: First Round

1997: Quarter-finals

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Danubio Fútbol Club.

• Official website