Udinese Calcio facts for kids
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| Full name | Udinese Calcio S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Bianconeri (The White and Blacks) I Friulani (The Friulians) Le Zebrette (The Little Zebras) |
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| Founded |
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| Ground | Bluenergy Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 25,132 | |||
| Owner | Giampaolo Pozzo | |||
| President | Franco Soldati | |||
| Head coach | Kosta Runjaić | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A, 12th of 20 | |||
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Udinese Calcio is a professional football club from Udine, Italy. The team plays in Serie A, which is the top football league in Italy. The club started on November 30, 1896, as a sports club. It became a football club on July 5, 1911.
The team's home uniform is a black and white striped shirt, black shorts, and white socks. The club has its own TV channel, Udinese Channel, for fans in northeastern Italy. Many people in the Friuli region and nearby areas support the team.
Contents
History of Udinese Calcio
How Udinese Calcio Started
Udinese Calcio began in 1896 as part of a larger sports group. This group was called the Società Udinese di Ginnastica e Scherma, which means "Udinese Society of Gymnastics and Fencing." In its first year, the club won a tournament in Treviso. However, this win is not officially recognized as a major title.
On July 5, 1911, some gymnasts from Udinese formed the A.C. Udinese football club. They joined the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The new team played its first friendly match against Juventus and won by a score of 6–0.
Udinese first played in an official FIGC championship in 1912–13. They were in a small league with only three teams. Udinese finished second and moved up to the top league, called Prima Categoria. In this league, they could not reach the national finals.
Udinese in the 1920s
The 1920–21 season was special because Gino Bellotto started playing. He played for Udinese for 17 seasons, more than any other player.
In 1922, Udinese reached the Coppa Italia final. They lost 1–0 to Vado in extra time. This was a big achievement for the club.
The 1922–23 season was tough. Udinese finished last and was moved down to the second division. The club also faced money problems in 1923. The president, Alessandro Del Torso, sold some of his paintings to pay off the club's debts. This allowed Udinese to keep playing.
The 1924–25 season was exciting. Udinese played in a very close championship. They won a playoff and moved up to the First Division. The next season, they were moved down again. However, the league rules changed, giving Udinese another chance to stay in the top league. They lost a playoff and did not make it to Serie A.
Udinese stayed in the Second Division until the 1928–29 season. After this, Serie A and Serie B were created. Udinese ended up in the third division, called Terza Serie. But they quickly won their first season there and were promoted to Serie B.
Udinese in the 1930s and 1940s
Udinese only stayed in Serie B for two years. After the 1931–32 season, they went back to the third division. They remained in the third tier, later called Serie C, until the 1938–39 season. That year, they finished second in their group and were promoted back to Serie B.
The team stayed in Serie B for about ten years. They usually had average results. In 1947–48, they were moved down to Serie C again because of new league rules. But after this, they earned two promotions in a row! In the Serie B 1949-50 season, they finished second and made it to Serie A for the first time in a long while.
Udinese in the 1950s
Udinese played in Serie A for five seasons. In the 1954–55 season, they almost won the league title, finishing second behind Milan. However, after that season, Udinese was moved down to Serie B. This happened because of a rule violation that happened two years earlier.
The team returned to Serie A after just one season in Serie B. The next season, they showed they were one of Italy's best teams by finishing in an excellent fourth place.
Udinese in the 1960s and 1970s
After their good seasons, Udinese faced a decline. They were moved down to Serie B in 1961–62 and then to Serie C in 1963–64. Udinese stayed in Serie C for about 15 years. They tried many times to get back to Serie B but could not.
Finally, after the 1977–78 season, the team, led by manager Massimo Giacomini, returned to Serie B. In the same season, they won the Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti (a cup for semi-professional teams). They also won the Anglo-Italian Cup.
Udinese in the 1980s
The next season, with Massimo Giacomini still as manager, Udinese won Serie B. They returned to Serie A after more than 20 years! In their first year back, they finished 15th, which was enough to stay in the league. In Europe, they did much better, winning the Mitropa Cup. This was a European cup for teams that had won their second-tier league the previous season.
In the following seasons, the team managed to avoid being moved down. They even finished in an impressive sixth place in 1982–83. During this time, Udinese had one of their greatest players ever: the Brazilian midfielder Zico.
At the end of the 1985–86 season, the team faced a big problem. They were involved in a betting investigation and were given a penalty of nine points for the 1986–87 season. Even though they tried very hard to catch up, Udinese was moved down to Serie B. If they had not lost those points, they would have stayed in Serie A.
Udinese in the 1990s and Early 2000s
In the years that followed, Udinese moved between Serie A and Serie B several times. This changed after the 1995–96 season. From then on, they became a regular team in Serie A.
The 1996–97 season was great. Udinese qualified for the UEFA Cup with Alberto Zaccheroni as manager. The next season, they finished third in Serie A. This was largely thanks to Oliver Bierhoff, who scored 27 goals!
In 2001, Luciano Spalletti became manager. He helped the team avoid being moved down. After a short time with other managers, Spalletti returned in 2002–03. He led the team to play exciting football and reach the UEFA Cup again.
In the 2004–05 season, Udinese finished in a surprising fourth place. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever! After this amazing season, Spalletti decided to leave the club.
The next season, Udinese played in the Champions League. They beat Sporting CP to get into the main group stage. They were in a tough group with Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, and Barcelona.
Udinese won their first Champions League match 3–0 against Panathinaikos. Vincenzo Iaquinta scored all three goals! But they did not make it to the next round. They finished third in their group, tied on points with Werder Bremen. Barcelona eventually won the tournament.
Udinese's Recent History
After their Champions League year, Udinese finished tenth. They returned to being a mid-table team. Things changed in the summer of 2007. The club hired Sicilian manager Pasquale Marino. They also bought good players like Fabio Quagliarella and Gökhan Inler.
The 2007–08 season started well with a draw against champions Internazionale. But then they lost 5–0 at home to Napoli. After this, Udinese's luck changed. They beat Juventus with a late goal from Antonio Di Natale. Udinese competed for a Champions League spot until the end of the season but finished seventh, qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
In the 2008–09 season, Udinese launched its own Web TV channel, Udinese Channel. This was a new idea for Italian football clubs. In the league, Udinese had mixed results. They won against Roma and Juventus but lost many games to smaller teams.
In the UEFA Cup, Udinese did well. They got through their group easily. They beat Lech Poznań and then the champions, Zenit Saint Petersburg. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Werder Bremen. Fabio Quagliarella scored eight goals in this competition. They finished seventh in the league, missing out on European football the next year.
The 2009–10 season was disappointing. Even though Antonio Di Natale scored 29 goals and was the league's top scorer, the team spent the season fighting to avoid being moved down. They finished 15th, safely away from the relegation zone. The only good part was reaching the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. They beat Milan but lost to Roma.
In 2010, Udinese sold some key players. But they also brought in new players like Mehdi Benatia and Pablo Armero. After a bad start, losing their first four games, Udinese had their best season ever in 2010–11 Serie A. They finished fourth, earning a spot in the Champions League qualifying round. Di Natale scored 28 goals, becoming the top scorer for the second year in a row. The coach, Francesco Guidolin, even danced on the field to celebrate!
The 2011–12 season was also good, even though Udinese sold three important players. In the Champions League qualifying round, Udinese played against Arsenal. They lost both games and went into the Europa League group stage. Antonio Di Natale missed a penalty that could have changed the outcome. In the league, Udinese played strong defense. For the second year in a row, they qualified for the Champions League by finishing third.
In the summer of 2012, more key players were sold to Juventus. Udinese did not reach the Champions League group stage that year. They lost on penalties to SC Braga. Antonio Di Natale scored 23 goals, making it his third season in a row with over 20 goals.
Udinese started the 2012–13 Serie A season with many draws and losses. But starting in December, they began to win more often. Di Natale also started scoring regularly. The team had an amazing eight-game winning streak to end the season. Luis Muriel became a very important player. Di Natale scored 23 goals again, making him the first player since Gabriel Batistuta to score 20 or more goals in four seasons in a row.
In the years that followed, Udinese usually finished in the middle or lower part of the Serie A table. In the 2017–18 season, manager Massimo Oddo was fired after the club lost 11 games in a row. Igor Tudor took over and helped the club stay out of the relegation zone.
Udinese Calcio Honours
National League Titles
National Cup Titles
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Winners (1): 1977–78
International Titles
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners (1): 2000
Other Important Titles
- Anglo-Italian Cup
- Winners (1): 1978
- Mitropa Cup
- Winners (1): 1979–80
Where Udinese Has Played in the League
| Series | Years | Last Season Played | Promotions (Moved Up) | Relegations (Moved Down) |
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| A | 52 | 2024–25 | - |  7 (1923, 1926, 1955, 1962, 1987, 1990, 1994) |
| B | 18 | 1994–95 |  7 (1925, 1950, 1956, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1995) |
4 (1928, 1932, 1948, 1964) |
| C | 23 | 1977–78 | 4 (1930, 1939, 1949, 1978) |
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| 93 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | ||||
Stadiums Where Udinese Plays
- Stadio Moretti (1924–76)
- Stadio Friuli (1976–Present)
Current Players for Udinese
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Udinese Primavera (Youth Team)
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Other Players Under Contract
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Players Out on Loan
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Famous Players Who Played for Udinese
Here is a list of players who played for Udinese and also played for their national teams:
Abel Balbo- Roberto Pereyra
- Daniel Bertoni
- Nahuel Molina
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Juan Musso
- Mauricio Pineda
- Néstor Sensini
- Roberto Sosa
Régis Genaux- Johan Walem
Edinho- Felipe
- Márcio Amoroso
- Zico
Mauricio Isla- David Pizarro
- Alexis Sánchez
Juan Cuadrado- Cristián Zapata
Antonín Barák- Jakub Jankto
- Marek Jankulovski
Thomas Helveg- Martin Jørgensen
- Per Krøldrup
- Jens Stryger Larsen
- Morten Bisgaard
Hazem Emam
Oliver Bierhoff- Carsten Jancker
Stephen Appiah- Kwadwo Asamoah
- Asamoah Gyan
- Sulley Muntari
- Emmanuel Badu
Orestis Karnezis
Ali Adnan
Valerio Bertotto- Alessandro Calori
- Franco Causio
- Morgan De Sanctis
- Antonio Di Natale
- Stefano Fiore
- Giuliano Giannichedda
- Vincenzo Iaquinta
- Simone Pepe
- Paolo Poggi
- Paolo Pulici
- Fabio Quagliarella
- Dino Zoff
Seko Fofana
Mehdi Benatia
Marek Koźmiński
Odion Ighalo
Bruno Fernandes
Igor Shalimov
Dušan Basta- Željko Brkić
- Aleksandar Luković
Samir Handanović
Ricardo Gallego
Arne Selmosson
Valon Behrami- Gökhan Inler
- Silvan Widmer
Festy Ebosele- James Abankwah
Ivica Šurjak
Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Head Coach | Kosta Runjaić |
| Assistant Head Coach | Przemysław Małecki |
| Technical Assistant | Alex Trukan Matteo De Biaggio |
| Head Goalkeeping Coach | Sergio Marcon |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Kris Štergulc |
| Match Analyst | Michele Guadagnino |
| Match Analyst Collaborator | Mattia Mosanghini |
| Head of Athletic Coach | Jordi García |
| Athletic Coach | Aldo Reale |
| Athletic Coach and Data Analyst | Francesco Tonizzo |
| Head of Medical |  Fabio Tenore |
| First team Doctor | Aldo Passelli |
| Head Physiotherapist | Daniel Reguera |
| Rehabilitation and Gym Trainer | Diego Chapinal |
| Head Nutritionist | Antonio Molina |
| Nutritionist | Álvaro Leo Romero |
| Podiatrist | Jacopo Brandolese |
| Physiotherapist Coordinator | Francesco Fondelli |
| Physiotherapist | Ander del Campo Gómez Pasquale Iuliano Alessio Lovisetto Antonio Manzanera Alberto Tamayo |
| Kit Manager | Marco Scotto Igor Ferino Andrea Bertolo |
| Chief Executive Officer | Franco Collavino |
| Technical Director | Gianluca Nani Gökhan Inler |
| Team Manager | Antonio Criscuolo |
| Press Office | Jacopo Romeo |
| Director of Professional Football and Scout | Francesco Vallone |
| Chief Scout | Andrea Carnevale |
| Youth Scout | Luigi Cuomo |
See also
In Spanish: Udinese Calcio para niños
