Udinese is celebrating its 128th birthday today. A story born from the passion of a group of Udinese students and their gymnastics teacher, Antonio Dal Dan, who, in 1896, founded what is now known as Udinese Calcio. It is the second-oldest active football club in Italy and the first to don the iconic black-and-white striped jersey.
Even before the club’s official founding date, Udinese played a significant role in the history of Italian football, participating in milestones like the first football match in Rome, watched by King Umberto I and Queen Margherita, who praised the team, and triumphing in the first Italian football championship, albeit as an unofficial competition. In 1911, Antonio Dal Dan and his son Luigi established Associazione Calcio Udinese, registering it with FIGC and marking the start of Udinese’s journey in official Italian competitions. This journey included a runners-up finish in the 1922 Coppa Italia against Vado and adopting the now-famous black-and-white striped jersey.
Post-World War II, under the presidencies of Giuseppe Bertoli and Dino Bruseschi, Udinese achieved the historic milestone of promotion to Serie A, where they contended for the Scudetto against AC Milan in 1954/55. The 1980s saw another Serie A return under President Teofilo Sanson and coach Massimo Giacomini. These were unforgettable years for fans, with a packed Stadio Friuli witnessing the magic of players like Zico, brought to Udine by new president Lamberto Mazza and Franco Dal Cin, alongside stars such as Edinho and Franco Causio.
A new era began in 1986 when Gianpaolo Pozzo took over the club. Under his leadership, Udinese became a Serie A mainstay, marking 30 consecutive seasons in the top flight this year. The Pozzo era brought Udinese its first European competition in 1997, its Champions League debut in 2005 and two historic third-place finishes in 1997/98 and 2011/12. It also brought world-class talents to Friuli, including the likes of Abel Balbo, Oliver Bierhoff, Marcio Amoroso, Antonio Di Natale, Alexis Sanchez, Samir Handanovic, Rodrigo De Paul and many more. In 2016, the club inaugurated the state-of-the-art Bluenergy Stadium, a symbol of pride for Udinese.
Here’s to another 128 years, Udinese!