Nacional was established on 14 May 1899 following the merger ofUruguay Athletic Club andMontevideo Football Club at the initiative of young students of the time who aimed to create a football club for Uruguayan-born players in response to the dominance of foreign clubs and players, thus making it one of the first clubs on the American continent founded by locals. Although the club's main focus is primarily onassociation football, the club hosts many other activities, includingbasketball,futsal,tennis,cycling,volleyball, andchess.[2] In February 2013, Nacional reached 60,000 associates.[3]
Nacional is a result of the fusion between Montevideo Football Club and Uruguay Athletic Club, 14 May 1899. It was decided there that the club's flag should include the three colours (red, blue and white) historically connected toJosé Gervasio Artigas, Uruguay's national hero. The club's uniform was mostly red and blue. In 1900 Nacional included the Club Defensa and its players, and started playing at theEstadio Gran Parque Central. That same year four clubs governed by foreigners (Albion F.C.,CURCC,Uruguay Athletic Club andDeutscher F.K.) founded the "Uruguay Association League". Nacional's petition to be included was dismissed on the thought thatcriollo clubs and their players lacked category. However, the League's clubs had to admit Nacional in 1901, after the club was invited to join the Argentinean League, due to their impressive performances in a number of friendly matches. In1902 Nacional won their firstUruguayan Primera División title. The red jersey was substituted by the white jersey in 1902.
In September 1903 Nacional fully represented theUruguay national football team and beatArgentina 3–2, winning the first international match ever (between national teams) in the history ofUruguayan football (the first international club match ever, was won by Albion over Argentine team Retiro A.C. 3–1 in 1896 inBuenos Aires). In 1905 Nacional won its first international title, theCopa de Honor Cousenier.
In a general assembly which took place in 1911, the populist majority led by club presidentJosé María Delgado obtained a victory over the elitist minority which resulted in an institutional transformation: the club opened its doors to players from lower classes, such asAbdón Porte, who would eventually become one of the club's biggest symbols, playing in Nacional until his premature death in 1918.[17]
Nacional's players started developing already around 1900 a new playing style that introduced a less physical and more imaginative game, made out of fast combinations and frequent dribbles. Magariños says: "The action of these teams [the British-Uruguayan teams, that is] was conducted according to the purest and standardized virtues of British sport: positional play, long passes, furious shots, and strong physical play. The body was used as a weapon, both offensively and defensively. (...) Nacional, formed mainly by smaller and faster players (...) abandoned the physical confrontation that was allowed back then, and chose to play according to their own possibilities. They chose to perform dribbling's, fast and short passing, very fast sprints, and a hectic activity in the pitch."[[18]]
After winning the1912 championship, they won the 1915Triple Crown (tri-championship), which included the three major domestic and international tournaments of that time:Primera División,Tie Cup, andCopa de Honor Cousenier. Nacional would go on to win the firstCopa Uruguaya en propiedad (meaning they were the first club to win three championships in a row), by winning both the1916 and1917 league championships, also winning the1919,1920,1922,1923 and1924 league titles.
Nacional saluting the crowd in Paris, during their 1925 European tour
After two very successful initial decades in the national league of Uruguay and at the regional level, Nacional became the foundation of Uruguay's first international success at the world level. In 1924, Nacional contributed players (Mazzali,Urdinarán,Scarone,Romano,Zibechi and Pascual Somma) for Uruguayan national representative that won the Summer Olympics in Paris. Nacional made also a substantial contribution to the Uruguayan teams of 1928 and 1930, Olympic and World champions respectively. Nacional is the only Uruguayan club that contributed players to every Uruguay national team that has won international tournaments.
In 1925, due to the success ofUruguay and players from Nacional in the1924 Summer Olympics, Nacional was invited to make an extensive European tour, playing 38 matches over six months. During that tour, Nacional played against both national squads and professional club teams from 9 European countries. Nacional won 26 matches, tied 7, and lost 5, scoring 130 goals and allowing 30.[19] An estimate of 800,000 tickets were sold during that tour, where Nacional played friendlies in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal.[20] which is considered the largest tour in the history of world football.[21]
In 1927, Nacional made aNorth America tour, with similar results to the ones obtained in the European adventure made two years before, with 16 wins, 2 ties and 1 loss.
Nacional in 1934, when winning the Torneo Competencia
In 1932, football became professional in Uruguay and Nacional formed a team that would be nicknamedLa Máquina Blanca (The White Machine). The team scored 28 goals in the first four games of the 1932 season. In1933 Nacional won its 12th. first division title, repeating thenext year. The 1933 championship is remembered as the longest ever, since it ended in November 1934, after a series of final games against Peñarol, the last won by Nacional by 3–1 with 3 goals byHéctor Castro.
In 1938, Argentine footballerAtilio García came to the club. That same year Nacional won theTorneo Internacional Nocturno Rioplatense, an international friendly championship. Between 1939 and 1943, coached by former playerHéctor Castro, Nacional won theQuinquenio de Oro (five consecutive championships from1939 to1943). Some highlights of those times was the 5–1 victory over Peñarol, with 4 goals by Atilio García. Nacional also made an outstanding campaign in the1941 season, winning all the games disputed (20/20). In those five years the team played 96Copa Uruguaya games, won 77, tied 9 and only lost 10, made 318 goals and allowed 108.[22]
One forward line of theQuinquenio (1939–43)
Nacional's superiority over Peñarol during this era is best exemplified by some particular feats:
Between 1938 and 1943 there were 23clásicos, with 18 victories for Nacional and only 4 for their rivals.
On 14 December 1941 Nacional obtained the largest win in the history ofUruguayan Clásico, defeating Peñarol 6 – 0. (That year, Nacional won all 20 games of the championship.)
Notable players of that period includeAtilio García (all-time Nacional's top scorer, alsoUruguayan Clásico all-time top scorer with 34 goals, eight times Uruguayan Champion, eight times league's highest scorer);Aníbal Paz (nine times Uruguayan champion and World Champion defending Uruguay in 1950);Schubert Gambetta (nine times Uruguayan Champion and World Champion in 1950);Luis Ernesto Castro (seven times Uruguayan Champion);Aníbal Ciocca (eight times Uruguayan Champion), EugenioPato Galvalisi (seven times Uruguayan Champion),Roberto Porta (six times Uruguayan Champion),Bibiano Zapirain (six times Uruguayan Champion).[22]
Nacional's international reputation relied on the tournaments played during the first half of the 20th century in theRío de la Plata region, where the most important international tournaments in America were played before theCopa Libertadores was created. Historical rivalries with longtime enemyPeñarol and famous Argentinian teams likeBoca,River Plate,Racing,Independiente,San Lorenzo,Rosario Central andNewell's Old Boys, among others, were established in those championships.
Nacional participated in the Libertadores for the first time in1962, when they were defeated in the semi-finals by Peñarol. They got to the Finals in1964, but lost to Independiente, and in1967 to Racing.
With President Miguel Restuccia, Nacional formed the basis of a team that would eventually achieve its goal, with players such asUbiña,Mujica,Montero Castillo,Espárrago,Cascarilla Morales, Brazilian goalkeeperManga,Cubilla and the great Argentinean strikerArtime. In the1969 Libertadores, after defeating Peñarol in semi-finals, Nacional lost its third Finals, this time against Estudiantes de La Plata.
During this period, Nacional also regained supremacy in the domestic field, obtaining four Uruguayan Championships in a row (1969,70,71 and72), keeping an unbeaten match record against classic rivals Peñarol: between 2 March 1971 and 31 January 1974, Nacional remained undefeated in 16 games.
In most of the 90s the club suffered a financial crisis and obtained few sportive results. It won the1992 Championship with great performances byJulio César Dely Valdés and Antonio Vidal González. After Peñarol's second Quinquenio (1993–97) Nacional's Directive board changed: returning President Dante Iocco brought back club's idolHugo de León as coach to prevent Peñarol from obtaining the hypotheticalSexenio. That year Nacional won the1998 Campeonato Uruguayo by winning both short tournamentsApertura andClausura. This was the first time any club achieved this feat since that system was implemented in 1994, having been repeated only byDanubio in 2006–07 season.
Maintaining the basis of its squad, Nacional dominated the national ambitus for three consecutive years (2000,2001 and2002.)
2016 was the 46th Uruguayan Championship won by Nacional. It was a one-round tournament, which marked the return of the domestic calendar to fit thecalendar year instead of the European calendar.
Nacional qualified for the2018 Copa Libertadores. It was the club's 45th appearance in the tournament, and the twenty second consecutive (a new record in the cup's history).
AfterMartín Lasarte's resignation, the club's board appointed former star and reserve team coachAlexander Medina as the principal team's new coach.[23]
Nacional's crest features a shield with a white slash with the following "C.N de F." written on it. The crest was inspired by theArtigas flag.[24][25]
The first home kit, used from the founding of the club in 1899 until 1902, utilized a red shirt, with blue sleeves and a blue collar.[26] In March 1902, the team changed its jersey at the request of the AUF, avoiding the similarity of colours with theAlbion club and also because the red shirt faded and another of better quality could not be obtained.[27] The new uniform would be a white shirt with a front pocket (which coined the nickname "Los Bolsos" which translates to pocket in Spanish), blue pants and a red sash. In addition, the crest with the initials 'C. N de F.' was added above the shirt pocket.[26]
In 1995, whenUmbro was the kit supplier, three different uniforms were implemented, the red shirt becoming the third kit, with the official away being a new blue shirt with an almost vertical red stripe. The blue tone will last a few more years, and in 2000 a new kit was presented with light blue and dark blue tones, which imitated the format of thePepsi brand, then the club's main sponsor. In 2002, the red kit was established as the official away kit, and since then, Nacional has two alternatives, the red one being the away, and the blue being the third.
Nacional plays most home games at its own stadium, the Montevideo-based 38,000 (and growing) capacity Gran Parque Central (soon to be 40,089), first built in 1900.It is located in "Quinta de la Paraguaya" a historic place where an Oriental revolutionary leaderJosé Gervasio Artigas was named "Jefe de los Orientales" in 1811.[28]In recent decades the stadium had not been used very often because Nacional played at the national stadiumEstadio Centenario, sharing it withPeñarol, but in 2005 Nacional decided to the return to the Gran Parque Central. Since then, its ongoing renovation has allowed Nacional to play most of its home domestic matches there, as well as many international matches. High-risk matches and derbies are still played at the Centenario.
The four stands of the stadium are named in memory of four symbolic figures:
the official stand, which includes press and VIP boxes is calledJosé María Delgado, after one of the club's most important Presidents.
the largest stand, opposed to the Delgado, is theAtilio García, after Nacional's all-time top scorer.
theAbdón Porte, after one of Nacional's biggest symbols: a player who after being relegated from the team shot himself dead in the center of the field. This is the stand where the organized supporter group attends.
theHéctor Scarone, after another historical striker, nicknamedel Mago (the Wizard).
After the completion of the second tire of the Atilio García, Abdón Porte and Héctor Scarone stands, the current work involves the construction of a corner structure joining the Atilio García and Porte stands. Future additions include a third tire on the three aforementioned stands.
Hosting the 1923 Copa América
A plaque commemorating the 1930 world championship of fútbol
The Spanish word to describe football fans is "hincha [es]", and it was coined by Nacional fans. An employee of Nacional of the early 20th century, Prudencio Miguel Reyes, was famous for his continuous support to the team. The other fans that attended the games started to call him by one of his duties: pumping air to the balls (in Spanish: "inflar" the balls, in Uruguay: "hinchar" the balls). Within a few games, Reyes was known as the "hincha" of Nacional. This is the origin of a word that is frequently used by Spanish speakers worldwide.[29]
In June 2013, Nacional supporters displayed for the first timethe biggest flag in the world as they called the emblem during a match vs.Deportivo Toluca played for the2013 Copa Libertadores. The flag cost US$50,000, previously collected amongst the supporters La Banda Del Parque[30] The flag, 600 meters in length and 50 meters in height,[31] entered theGuinness World Records as "the biggest flag ever seen in a football match".[32]
The flag also weighed 5,000 kg, with 400 people being needed to move it.[33]La Banda Del Parque
Panorama of the "biggest flag in the world", as seen at theEstadio Centenario in March 2013.
Nacional is nicknamed "tricolores" ("three colours"), "albos" ("whites") and "bolsilludos", later shortened to "bolsos" ("bolsillo" being the Spanish word for pocket – Nacional used to play with a jersey that had a pocket on the chest). "La blanca" (another reference to the white jersey) is less common.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
In 1924, Nacional was the club that contributed more players to Uruguay's team that won theOlympicgold medal infootball of that year. It happened again with Uruguay's teams of1928 and1930, Olympic and world champions respectively, in which Nacional contributed the majority of players. Nacional is the only Uruguayan club that contributed players to every Uruguay national team that went on to win international tournaments.[34]
Below, the list of Nacional players that were part of Uruguay's Olympic and world champions teams.
Nacional participates in the tournaments organised by the Uruguayan basketball federationFederación Uruguaya de Basketball (known as FUBB) since 1932. The club won the championships of 1935 and 1937. Nowadays, Nacional takes part in the Liga Uruguaya de Basketball, Uruguayan basketball first division.
In April 2019, Nacional had announced that they would form arugby union section[45] to compete in the2020 season of theSúper Liga Americana de Rugby.[46] Nevertheless, it never occurred soPeñarol remained as the only Uruguayan representative in the league.
Nacional has a lot of tennis courts in Parque Central, behind the stand Abdón Porte, in which several stages of the tournaments organised in Uruguay are disputed. In 2005, the club had the honour of holding various games played by Uruguay in the American Zone II ofDavis Cup.
Nacional has its volleyball court in Parque Central, in the gymnasium of Jaime Cibils street. In that stadium, the club plays its home games of the championships organised by the Uruguayan volleyball federationFederación Uruguaya de Vóleibol in every category.
Nacional was part of the tournaments organised by the Department of Feminine Football of the Uruguayan Football Association, since its establishment in 1996, winning the Campeonato Uruguayo in 1997 and 2000. The club disaffiliated in 2005 and returned to the league in 2009 ending third in the annual standings. They won the championship in 2010 and 2011–2012. Internationally, Nacional played in various South American championships.
Nacional participates in the championships organised by de Futsal Delegated Commission of the Uruguayan Football Association. The club won the Uruguayan league title in various occasions and is nowadays the Uruguayan champion. Internationally, Nacionals main achievement is the second place in the South American Futsal CupCopa Libertadores de América de Futsal in 2003.
^"Copa Interamericana". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 25 February 2011.Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved31 March 2012.
^"Recopa". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012.Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved31 March 2012.
