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]

Famous players from the club include Álvaro Recoba, Ruben Sosa, Marcelo Zalayeta, Rubén Olivera, Rubén "Polillita" Da Silva, Javier Chevantón, Fabián Carini, Richard Núñez, Walter Gargano, Carlos Grossmuller, Ignacio María González, Edinson Cavani, Cristhian Stuani, Jose Gimenez, and Camilo Mayada, while Nery Castillo and Diego Forlán played for the youth team before continuing their careers abroad.

Danubio won their fourth Uruguayan league in 2013–14 champions of Uruguay after defeating Montevideo Wanderers on penalties after 120 minutes of football in the third final that finished 2-2 with a last minute bicycle kick equalizer from Camilo Mayada, previously they won their third league in 2006–07 champions of Uruguay after defeating Peñarol 4–1 in December 2006 to claim the Apertura with a very young Edinson Cavani scoring the last goal and then again defeating Peñarol on penalties to claim the 2007 Clausura. Danubio previously won the Uruguayan title in 2004 after defeating Nacional in the last kick of the game with a back heel goal scored by Diego Perrone and in 1988 with a fantastic young squad that included Ruben Polillita Da Silva who scored 30 goals on that season.[4]

The club decided in 1932 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 sash over the white kit worn by River Plate, but with the sash in black. This design remains today. 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 Saprissa of Costa Rica. 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.[5]

Danubio play their home matches at the Jardines del Hipódromo María Mincheff de Lazaroff Stadium. 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.[6]

As of 22 January 2021

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 Salvador Ichazo 3 DF  URU Lucas Monzón 5 MF  URU Pablo Siles 6 DF  URU Leandro Sosa 7 FW  URU Rodrigo Piñeiro 9 FW  ARG Martín Comachi 10 MF  URU Santiago Mederos 11 MF  URU Facundo Silvera 12 GK  URU Emiliano Bermúdez 14 FW  URU Facundo Labandeira 15 MF  URU Maximiliano Rodríguez 16 DF  URU Enzo Siri 18 DF  URU Cristian González

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  URU Santiago Paiva 21 DF  URU Santiago Carrera 22 FW  ARG Emanuel Mercado 23 MF  URU Nicolás Prieto 24 FW  URU Leandro Rodríguez 25 MF  ARG Matías Fritzler 27 MF  URU Javier Méndez 28 DF  URU Mauricio Victorino 30 DF  URU Sergio Rodríguez 44 MF  URU José Luis Rodríguez — GK  URU Luca Giossa — DF  COL Carlos Romaña — FW  URU Matías Deorta

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 — DF  URU Matías Jones — MF  URU Briam Acosta — MF  URU Leandro Onetto

Youth players in use

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  URU Nicolás Siri — DF  URU Fredy Martínez — MF  URU Franco Macchi

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 — MF  URU Gonzalo Montes (at Querétaro until 30 June 2021) — MF  URU Denis Olivera (at Peñarol until 31 December 2021)

• Uruguayan Primera División: 4

1988, 2004, 2006–07, 2013–14

• Segunda División Uruguay: 3

1947, 1960, 1970

• Tercera División Uruguay: 1

1943

• Copa Libertadores: 7 appearances

1978: First Round

1984: First Round

1989: Semi-finals

2005: First Round

2007: Preliminary Round

2008: First Round

2015: First Round

• Copa Sudamericana: 6 appearances

2002: First Round

2003: Preliminary Round

2004: Preliminary Round

2005: First Round

2007: First Round

2012: First Round

• 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.

• (in Spanish) Danubio's official website