Foundation and early years

Udinese Calcio was established in 1896 as part of the Società Udinese di Ginnastica e Scherma, (Udinese Society of Gymnastics and Fencing).^{[citation needed]} In its inaugural year, the club won the Torneo FNGI in Treviso beating Ferrara 2–0; however, this title is not recognised as official.^{[citation needed]}

On 5 July 1911, some gymnasts of Udinese, headed by Luigi Dal Dan, founded the A.C. Udinese, which joined the FIGC.^{[citation needed]} The new side made its debut in a friendly match against Juventus , and won 6–0.^{[citation needed]}

It was only in 1912–13 that Udinese first took part in an official FIGC championship.^{[citation needed]} In that year they enrolled in the Campionato Veneto di Promozione, which consisted of just three teams (the others were Petrarca and Padova).^{[citation needed]} With two victories against Padova (3–1 and 5–0), Udinese finished the tournament in second place behind Petrarca and were promoted to first-level Prima Categoria.^{[citation needed]} In Prima Categoria, Udinese failed to reach the national stage, always knocked out in the Eliminatoria Veneta.^{[citation needed]}

1920s: Coppa Italia final

The 1920–21 season, which ended with the Friulani eliminated in the Eliminatoria Veneta, was memorable^{[according to whom?]} because it was the debut of Gino Bellotto, who is still the player who has played the most seasons with Udinese, spending 17 seasons with the Zebrette.^{[citation needed]}

In 1922, Udinese, taking advantage of the absence of big clubs, entered the FIGC Italian Football Championship and reached the Coppa Italia final losing 1–0 against Vado, thanks to an overtime goal.^{[citation needed]}

In the league, Udinese finished second in Girone Eliminatorio Veneto, which allowed them to remain in the top flight for the next season, despite a reform of the championships that reduced the number of teams in the competition.^{[citation needed]}

The 1922–23 season ended badly for Udinese, as they came last in and were relegated to the second division. The team risked failure for debts in 1923.^{[citation needed]} On 24 August 1923, AS Udinese separated from AC Udinese Friuli, and the club was forced to set up a budget and an autonomous board.^{[citation needed]} All debts were paid by President Alessandro Del Torso through the sale of some of his paintings, and Udinese could thus join the Second Division in which they came fourth.^{[citation needed]}

The 1924–25 season was memorable.^{[according to whom?][citation needed]} The team was included in Group F II Division.^{[citation needed]} The championship was very even and at the end of the tournament three teams were in contention to win: Udinese, Vicenza and Olympia River.^{[citation needed]} Playoffs were needed to determine who would reach the final round.^{[citation needed]}

Udinese beat Olympia in a playoff 1–0 and drew 1–1 with Vicenza.^{[citation needed]} In the play-off standings, Udinese and Vicenza were still in the lead with three points each.^{[citation needed]} Another play-off was then played^{[clarification needed]} to determine the winner.^{[citation needed]} After a first encounter finished 0–0, Udinese lost a replay 2–1, but were awarded the win as Vicenza fielded an ineligible player, a Hungarian called Horwart.^{[citation needed]} Udinese reached the finals in place of Vicenza.^{[citation needed]}

In the final round, Udinese finished first and was promoted, alongside Parma, to First Division.^{[citation needed]} In the following season, Udinese finished 10th and was relegated again.^{[citation needed]} However, the format of the championship was again reformed, and Udinese had another chance to reclaim their place in the top flight.^{[citation needed]} They competed in play-offs with seven other sides for the right to play in Serie A.^{[citation needed]} The winner would remain in the top flight.^{[citation needed]} The club, however, lost the playoff against Legnano and lost their place in the top flight.^{[citation needed]}

They remained in Second Division until the end of the 1928–29 season when Serie A and Serie B were created, with Udinese falling into the third tier (Terza Serie).^{[citation needed]} The first season in Terza Serie ended with Udinese being promoted up to Serie B.^{[citation needed]}

1930s and 1940s

The stay in Serie B lasted only two years, and after the 1931–32 season, the team returned to the third division.^{[citation needed]} Udinese remained in the third tier (later renamed Serie C in 1935) until 1938–39, when coming second in Girone Finale Nord di Serie C, they were promoted to Serie B.^{[citation needed]}

The Zebrette remained in Serie B for a dozen years, with average performances^{[according to whom?]} and were relegated to Serie C at the end of the 1947–48 season due to a reform of the championships.^{[citation needed]} This relegation, however, was followed by two consecutive promotions, and thanks to a second-place finish in the Serie B 1949-50, the Friulani won a historic^[tone] promotion to Serie A.^{[citation needed]}

1950s: second place in A, and relegation back to B

Udinese remained in Serie A for five seasons, and almost claimed a Scudetto in the 1954–55 season, when they came second only behind Milan. It was after that season, however, that Udinese was relegated because of an offence committed on 31 May 1953,^{[citation needed]} the last day of the championship, which was exposed two years later.^{[citation needed]} The Friuliani returned to Serie A after one season in B, and in the following season secured an fourth-place finish.^{[citation needed]}

1960s and 1970s

A decline followed those good seasons, however, with Udinese first relegated back down to Serie B in 1961–62 and then to Serie C in 1963–64.^{[citation needed]} Udinese remained in C for about fifteen years, missing promotion back to B on numerous occasions.^{[citation needed]} It was only after the 1977–78 season that the Friuliani, led by manager Massimo Giacomini, returned to B winning Girone A.^{[citation needed]} In the same season, they won the Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti, beating Reggina and also won the Anglo-Italian Cup.^{[citation needed]}

1980s: Mitropa Cup and the scandal of 1986

During the next season, Udinese with Massimo Giacomini as their manager, won Serie B and returned after more than two decades to Serie A.^{[citation needed]} In the first year of their return to Series A, the team finished in 15th place, enough to secure their place in the league for the folllowing season.^{[citation needed]} In Europe, they fared much better, winning the Mitropa Cup, a European Cup for teams that had won the previous season of Serie B.^{[citation needed]}

In subsequent seasons, the team survived relegation without any particular difficulty, also having a sixth place finish in 1982–83.^{[citation needed]} At that time, Udinese had one of the club's all-time greatest players,^{[according to whom?]} the Brazilian midfielder Zico.^{[citation needed]}

At the end of the 1985–86 season, the team was affected by in a betting scandal, and was penalised nine points for the 1986–87 season.^{[citation needed]} Despite a comeback towards the end of the season, Udinese were relegated to Serie B. Had they not been deducted points, Udinese would have survived.^{[citation needed]}

1990s and early 2000s: Europe

During the following years, Udinese were promoted to Serie A and relegated back to B on several occasions.^[quantify] This situation lasted until the 1995–96 season, from which point on, they established themselves in Serie A.^{[citation needed]}

The 1996–97 season saw Udinese qualify for the UEFA Cup, with Alberto Zaccheroni as manager.^{[citation needed]} The following season, they secured a third-place finish behind Juventus and Internazionale, largely thanks^{[according to whom?]} to Oliver Bierhoff's 27 goals.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2001, Luciano Spalletti was appointed manager, replacing Luigi De Canio.^{[citation needed]} Spalletti managed to^[tone] lead the team to survival on the penultimate matchday.^{[citation needed]} Following brief periods with Roy Hodgson and Giampiero Ventura on the bench, Spalletti was again appointed manager of Udinese at the beginning of the 2002–03 season, finding an organised and ambitious club^{[tone][according to whom?]} which again reached the UEFA Cup, playing attacking and entertaining^[tone] football.^{[citation needed]}

The surprising^{[tone][according to whom?]} fourth-place finish at the end of the 2004–05 season saw Udinese achieve their first qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the history of the club.^{[citation needed]} At the end of that same season, Spalletti announced his intention to leave Udinese.^{[why?][vague][clarification needed]}

The following season, Udinese played in the Champions League preliminary round, beating Sporting CP 4–2 on aggregate.^{[citation needed]} Udinese were drawn in a tough group alongside Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen and Barcelona.^{[citation needed]}

Despite a 3–0 win over Panathinaikos in their first match, courtesy of a Vincenzo Iaquinta hat trick, the team failed to^[tone] qualify for the knockout rounds, coming in third in their group, equal on points with second placed Werder and behind eventual champions Barcelona.^{[citation needed]}

Recent history

After a year in the Champions League, Udinese finished tenth and returned once more to mid-table mediocrity.^{[tone][citation needed]} The turning point^{[according to whom?]} occurred during the summer of 2007, when the club announced the appointment of Sicilian manager Pasquale Marino, and also made various quality^[tone] purchases, including Fabio Quagliarella and Gökhan Inler.^[1][2]

The 2007–08 season started well,^{[according to whom?]} with a draw at home against champions Internazionale, but the enthusiasm^[tone] was quickly erased^{[according to whom?]} after the first home match, which finished in a 5–0 loss to newly promoted Napoli.^[3] After this match, Udinese's fortunes changed,^{[according to whom?]} starting with a victory over Juventus, thanks to a late Antonio Di Natale goal.^{[citation needed]} Udinese remained in contention for the fourth Champions League spot with Milan, Fiorentina, and Sampdoria until the end of the season, but ultimately^{[vague][clarification needed]} finished in seventh place, qualifying for the UEFA Cup.^{[citation needed]}

At the start of the 2008–09 season, during the press conference to present the new season's kit, the new official website was also presented, and an absolute novelty^[tone] in the Italian championship, the first Web TV channel dedicated to a football club called Udinese Channel was launched, totally free and visible worldwide.^{[contradictory][4]}

In the 2008–09 season, Udinese had a mixed bag of results^[tone] in Serie A with a 3–1 win at Roma and a 2–1 win over Juventus, but ten losses against teams including Reggina, Chievo, and Torino dented their hopes^[tone] of Champions League qualification.^{[citation needed]} In the UEFA Cup, Udinese found themselves^[tone] in a group with potential favourites^{[according to whom?]} Tottenham Hotspur, NEC, Spartak Moscow, and Dinamo Zagreb, but eased through the group with a convincing^{[according to whom?]} 2–0 win against Tottenham.^{[citation needed]} They beat Lech Poznań in the next round 4–3 on aggregate, and then beat holders Zenit Saint Petersburg 2–1 on aggregate.^{[citation needed]} In the quarter-final against Werder Bremen, with injuries to star^[tone] players Antonio Di Natale, Samir Handanovič, and Felipe, they lost 6–4 on aggregate.^{[citation needed]} Fabio Quagliarella scored eight goals in the campaign.^{[citation needed]} They finished the season in seventh place, missing out on any European football the following year.^{[citation needed]}

The 2009–10 season was a disappointing one^[tone] for players and fans alike.^[5] Even though Antonio Di Natale managed to^[tone] score 29 goals in the league and finished top goalscorer, the season was spent battling against relegation.^{[citation needed]} In the end, they finished in 15th, nine points and three places clear of the relegation zone. The only highlight^{[according to whom?]} of the campaign was reaching the semi-final of the Coppa Italia, beating Lumezzane in the round of 16, Milan in the quarter-finals, and eventually losing 2–1 to Roma on aggregate.^{[citation needed]}

In the summer transfer window of 2010, Udinese sold Gaetano D'Agostino,^[6] Simone Pepe,^[7] Marco Motta,^[8] and Aleksandar Luković.^[9] They also brought in players that proved to be the key^{[according to whom?]} to their success in the 2010–11 Serie A; Mehdi Benatia and Pablo Armero, a central defender and wingback, respectively.^[10][11] After a poor start to the season, losing their first four games and drawing the fifth, Udinese went on to record their highest points total in history and finished in fourth place, again earning themselves a spot in the Champions League qualifying round.^{[citation needed]} Di Natale, with 28 goals, became the first back-to-back capocannoniere since Lazio's Giuseppe Signori accomplished the feat in 1993 and 1994.^{[citation needed]} A 0–0 home draw with Milan on the final matchday secured the Champions League spot for Udinese.^{[citation needed]} Coach Francesco Guidolin kept his promise of "dancing like Boateng"^{[clarification needed]} if they qualified for the Champions League and did a little jig in the middle of the pitch.^{[citation needed]} In the Coppa Italia, Udinese lost to Sampdoria in the round of 16 on penalties after the match ended 2–2.^{[citation needed]}

The 2011–12 season continued similarly, even though Udinese lost three key^{[according to whom?]} players to larger clubs – Alexis Sánchez to Barcelona, Gökhan Inler to Napoli, and Cristián Zapata to Villarreal.^{[citation needed]} In the Champions League qualifying round, Udinese were drawn against Arsenal and lost the away leg 1–0.^[12][13] At the Stadio Friuli, Udinese lost 2–1, 3–1 on aggregate,^[14] and entered the Europa League group stage, Antonio Di Natale missing a penalty that, at the time, would have taken Udinese through.^{[citation needed]} Domestically, Udinese started strong but with their quality shown in defence,^[tone] conceding the least of all teams after 15 games, only seven.^{[citation needed]} For the second consecutive season, Udinese qualified for the Champions League, clinching^[tone] third place on the final day of the season with a 2–0 away win against Catania.^{[citation needed]} In the summer transfer window, key players Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla were both sold to champions Juventus.^[15][16] The club failed to^[tone] reach the group stage of the year's Champions League, however, losing on penalties after extra time to Portuguese club SC Braga.^{[citation needed]} Antonio Di Natale scored 23 goals to record his third consecutive season with 20+ goals in Serie A.^{[citation needed]}

Udinese started off the 2012–13 Serie A season in mixed form, with seven draws and three losses in their first thirteen games.^{[citation needed]} However, starting in December the team began to pick up wins more frequently, concurrent with Di Natale finding the net^[tone] on a regular basis.^{[citation needed]} After a period of balancing wins with losses, the team went on a phenomenal^[tone] eight game winning streak to end the season, with Luis Muriel emerging as a key player.^[17] Like the 2011–12 season, Di Natale again finished with 23 goals, becoming the first player since Gabriel Batistuta, of Fiorentina, to score 20 or more goals in four or more consecutive seasons.^{[citation needed]}

Over the coming years, Udinese would go on to finish middle to lower table in Serie A. In the 2017–18 season, Udinese manager Massimo Oddo was sacked after the club lost 11 straight games. Oddo was then replaced by Igor Tudor, who guided the club to safety away from the relegation places.^[18]

National

International

• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Winners (1): 2000^{[citation needed]}

Other Titles

• Anglo-Italian Cup
  • Winners (1): 1978^{[citation needed]}
• Mitropa Cup
  • Winners (1): 1979–80^{[citation needed]}

Current squad

As of 25 April 2024^[19]

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

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ITA Marco Silvestri 2 DF  IRL Festy Ebosele 4 MF  SVN Sandi Lovrić 6 MF  ESP Oier Zarraga 7 FW  NGA Isaac Success 9 FW  ENG Keinan Davis 10 FW  ESP Gerard Deulofeu 11 MF  BRA Walace 12 DF  CIV Hassane Kamara 13 DF  POR João Ferreira (on loan from Watford) 16 DF  CRO Antonio Tikvić 17 FW  ITA Lorenzo Lucca (on loan from Pisa) 18 DF  ARG Nehuén Pérez 19 DF  NGA Kingsley Ehizibue 22 FW  BRA Brenner

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF  CMR Enzo Ebosse 24 MF  SRB Lazar Samardžić 26 FW  FRA Florian Thauvin 27 DF  BEL Christian Kabasele 29 DF  SVN Jaka Bijol 30 DF  ARG Lautaro Giannetti 31 DF  DEN Thomas Kristensen 32 MF  ARG Martín Payero 33 DF  ZIM Jordan Zemura 37 MF  ARG Roberto Pereyra (captain) 40 GK  NGA Maduka Okoye 79 MF  SVN David Pejičić 93 GK  ITA Daniele Padelli — DF  IRL James Abankwah

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Youth sector

Udinese Primavera players with a first-team shirt number

As of 25 April 2024^[20][21]

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

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player 70 GK  ITA Federico Mosca 71 MF  SVN Bor Žunec 72 GK  ITA Joel Malusà

No. Pos. Nation Player 77 FW  GHA Raymond Asante 83 DF  ITA Samuel John Nwachukwu

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Out on loan

As of 1 February 2024

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

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ITA Edoardo Piana (at Messina until 30 June 2024) — DF  CRO Filip Benković (at Trabzonspor until 30 June 2024) — DF  POR Leonardo Buta (at Gil Vicente until 30 June 2024) — DF  FRA Axel Guessand (at Volendam until 30 June 2024) — DF  MAR Adam Masina (at Torino until 30 June 2024) — MF  ITA Marco Ballarini (at Triestina until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ITA Simone Pafundi (at Lausanne until 31 December 2024) — MF  POR Domingos Quina (at Vizela until 30 June 2024) — FW  BEL Sekou Diawara (at Beerschot until 30 June 2024) — FW  BRA Matheus Martins (at Watford until 30 June 2024) — FW  POR Vivaldo Semedo (at Volendam until 30 June 2024)

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