On 14 May 1899, in a house in Montevideo, a group of students decided that Uruguayan football could not belong to foreigners alone. That was the birth of Nacional, which turns 128 on 14 May 2027. For Greek fans it holds a special place: it is the team that faced Panathinaikos in an Intercontinental Cup final.

A club for the "criollos"

At the end of the 19th century, football in Uruguay was dominated by the British and the Germans, with their own clubs and their own players. Young university students, members of Montevideo Football Club and Uruguay Athletic Club, joined forces to create a team for the locals, the so-called "criollos".

The meeting took place at the home of the family of Ernesto Caprario, who later also designed the crest. The name "Nacional", meaning "National", said on its own what the club wanted to be.

The start was not easy. According to the Uruguayan press, the football association first turned the club down because its members were teenagers and its delegates did not speak English, the language of the league at the time.

The colours of Artigas

Nacional's colours, white, blue and red, come from the flag of José Gervasio Artigas, Uruguay's national hero. It was a statement of identity in a league full of English names.

The flag and the crest follow the same idea: a blue background, a white diagonal band and the initials "C. N. de F.". Sources disagree on exactly when the flag was set, at the founding in 1899 or in 1902.

From red to white with a pocket

The first shirt, from 1899 to 1902, was red with blue sleeves and collar. In March 1902, however, the association asked for a change so the team would not be confused with Albion, and the red cloth also faded easily.

The new kit was a white shirt with a chest pocket, blue shorts and a wide red sash, with the crest stitched above the pocket. That pocket, "bolsillo" in Spanish, gave rise to the nicknames "Bolsilludos" and finally "Bolsos", which are still used today.

The pocket and the sash were dropped in the late 1950s, leaving the white shirt with blue and red trim. The red shirt returned as the official alternative in 2002, a tribute to the early years.

Gran Parque Central: where the World Cup began

Nacional's home is the Gran Parque Central, in the La Blanqueada neighbourhood, built in 1900. Spanish Wikipedia describes it as the oldest stadium in the Americas.

In 1930 it was one of the three venues of the first World Cup and hosted one of the two opening matches. In 2005 FIFA placed a commemorative plaque there, the same year the team returned for good to its renovated home.

Three times on top of the world

Nacional has won three Copa Libertadores titles (1971, 1980, 1988) and as many Intercontinental Cups. The first came against Panathinaikos, who took Ajax's place when the Dutch refused to play.

On 15 December 1971 the two sides drew 1-1 at the Karaiskakis Stadium, with goals from Filakouris and Luis Artime. In the return leg at the Centenario Artime scored twice more and Nacional lifted the trophy with a 2-1 win.

In 1981, in Tokyo, Waldemar Victorino scored the only goal against Nottingham Forest. The club's legends also include all-time top scorer Atilio García, Héctor Scarone with 21 years at the club, Luis Cubilla and Hugo de León.

Celebrate with us

From a students' meeting in a Montevideo house to three world titles, Nacional has stayed true to the colours of Artigas. Happy 128th birthday, Bolsos!

See our Nacional jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Nacional's Gran Parque Central in Montevideo – YonytecuentoCNF, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.