# Danubio F.C.

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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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.

## Stadium

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.

## Current squad

    As of 15 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | URU | Mauro Goicoechea |
| 2 | DF | URU | Emiliano Velázquez |
| 3 | DF | URU | Mario Risso |
| 5 | MF | URU | Juan Millán |
| 6 | FW | URU | Leandro Sosa (captain) |
| 7 | MF | URU | Ignacio Pintos |
| 8 | DF | URU | Renzo Rabino |
| 9 | FW | URU | Sergio Núñez (on loan from Liverpool Montevideo) |
| 10 | MF | URU | Maximiliano Cantera |
| 11 | FW | URU | Lucas Sanseviero |
| 12 | GK | URU | José Río |
| 13 | MF | URU | Hernán Novick |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | URU | Mateo Peralta |
| 17 | MF | URU | Joaquín Fernández |
| 19 | MF | URU | Santiago Romero |
| 20 | FW | URU | Francisco Martinicorena |
| 21 | MF | URU | Luis Femia |
| 22 | DF | URU | Facundo Saravia |
| 23 | DF | URU | Matías González (on loan from Peñarol) |
| 24 | DF | URU | Maximiliano Perg |
| 26 | FW | URU | Diego Píriz |
| 27 | DF | URU | Mateo Argüello |
| 30 | FW | URU | Sebastián Fernández |

### Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | URU | Máximo Cabral |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |

## Notable players

Must have made at least 50 appearances for the club and/or 30 with the national team
* Álvaro Recoba
* Ruben Sosa,
* Marcelo Zalayeta,
* Rubén da Silva
* Javier Chevantón,
* Fabián Carini,
* Richard Núñez
* Walter Gargano
* Carlos Grossmüller
* Ignacio María González
* Edinson Cavani
* Cristhian Stuani,
* Jose Gimenez
* Camilo Mayada
* Diego Forlán
* Eber Moas

## Honours
### Senior titles
#### Keys

* Record
* $^{(s)}$ Shared record
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years |
| National (League) | Primera División | 4 | 1988, 2004, 2006–07, 2013–14 |
| National (League) | Segunda División | 3 | 1947, 1960, 1970 |
| National (League) | Divisional Intermedia | 1 | 1943 |
| National (League) | Divisional Extra | 1 | 1942 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Apertura | 3 | 2001, 2006, 2013 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Clausura | 3 | 2002, 2004, 2007 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Clasificatorio | 1 | 2014 |
| National (Cups) | Copa de Honor Celeste Olímpica | 1 | 2014 |
| National (Cups) | Torneo Competencia | 1 | 1988 |
| National (Cups) | Liguilla Pre-Libertadores | 1 | 1983 |

## Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

* 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