# History

## Foundation and first years

Nacional is a result of the fusion between Montevideo Football Club
and Uruguay Athletic Club, 14 May 1899. It was decided there that the
club's flag should include the three colours (red, blue and white)
historically connected to José Gervasio Artigas, Uruguay's national
hero. The club's uniform was mostly red and blue. In 1900 Nacional
included the Club Defensa and its players, and started playing at the
Estadio Gran Parque Central. That same year four clubs governed by
foreigners (Albion F.C., CURCC, Uruguay Athletic Club and Deutscher
F.K.) founded the Uruguay Association League. Nacional's petition to
be included was dismissed on the thought that criollo clubs and their
players lacked category. However, the League's clubs had to admit
Nacional in 1901, after the club was invited to join the Argentinean
League, due to their impressive performances in a number of friendly
matches. In 1902 Nacional won their first Uruguayan Championship. The
red jersey was substituted by the white jersey in 1902.

# Other
## Nacional supporters.

The Spanish word to describe football fans is "hincha [es]", and it
was coined by Nacional fans. An employee of Nacional of the early 20th
century, Prudencio Miguel Reyes, was famous for his continuous support
to the team. The other fans that attended the games started to call
him by one of his duties: pumping air to the balls (in Spanish:
"inflar" the balls, in Uruguay: "hinchar" the balls). Within a few
games, Reyes was known as the "hincha" of Nacional. This is the origin
of a word that is frequently used by Spanish speakers worldwide.

## The biggest flag in the world
In June 2013, Nacional supporters displayed for the first time the
biggest flag of the world as they called the emblem during a match
vs. Deportivo Toluca played for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. The flag
cost US$50,000, previously collected amongst the supporters La Banda
Del Parque[24] The flag, with a dimension of 600 m long by 50 m
height,[25] entered the Guinness World Records as "the biggest flag
ever seen in a football match".

### Flag data

The flag also weighed 5,000 kg, with 400 persons being needed to move
it.[27] La Banda Del Parque

# Nicknames

Nacional is nicknamed "tricolores" ("three colours"), "albos"
("whites") and "bolsilludos", later shortened to "bolsos" ("bolsillo"
being the Spanish word for pocket – Nacional used to play with a
jersey that had a pocket on the chest). "La blanca" (another reference
to the white jersey) is less common.

# References

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Nacional_de_Football