Udinese Calcio

Founding and Early Years

Udinese was officially founded on 30 November 1896 as the Società Udinese di Ginnastica e Scherma (gymnastics and fencing society), with its football activity only beginning on 5 July 1911.

Club Evolution

The club play at the Stadio Friuli, built in 1976, renovated and renamed Dacia Arena in 2016, then Bluenergy Stadium under subsequent sponsorship deals. Nicknamed "I Bianconeri" or "Le Zebrette" (the little zebras, to distinguish them from Juventus) for their black-and-white stripes inherited from the coat of arms of the city of Udine, the club is also known as "I Friulani."

Great Managers

Alberto Zaccheroni (1995-1998) established an attacking 3-4-3 system that qualified Udinese for the UEFA Cup, before going on to win the Scudetto with AC Milan. Luciano Spalletti (2001-2005) later led the club to its best-ever season, a 4th-place finish in 2004-05 that brought their first-ever Champions League qualification.

Iconic Players

Antonio Di Natale, who stayed loyal to the club from 2004 to 2016, is its all-time top scorer and was twice Serie A's top scorer. Alexis Sánchez, signed young and cheaply from Chile, embodies Udinese's scouting-and-resale model before his transfer to Barcelona. Zico, Oliver Bierhoff, and Rodrigo De Paul are among the many talents discovered by the club over the decades.

Major Achievements

Udinese have never won Serie A or the Coppa Italia (runners-up in 2011-12), but have been crowned Serie B champions three times and won the Mitropa Cup in 1979-80, their biggest international trophy.

The Club Today

Led by Kosta Runjaić and chaired by Franco Soldati, under the ownership of the Pozzo family since 1986, who also own England's Watford FC, Udinese finished 10th in Serie A in 2025-26, confirming their reputation as a producer of top international talent.