NK Maribor

Nogometni Klub Maribor (in Spanish: Fútbol Club Maribor), commonly known as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a Slovenian football club from the city of Maribor. It was founded on 12 December 1960 and is one of the three football clubs in the country that have never been relegated from the Primera División of Slovenia since its creation in 1991. The team is considered a symbol of Slovenian football, especially in its region of Lower Styria (in Slovenian: Štajerska), in the north-east of the country.

Maribor is the most decorated Slovenian club, with eleven PrvaLiga titles, eight Slovenian Cups and three Slovenian Super Cups. The club's most successful period was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when they were managed by Bojan Prašnikar, Ivo Šušak and Matjaž Kek, winning seven consecutive league titles and three cups. After the 2008–09 season, and managed by Darko Milanič, Maribor again dominated Slovenian football, winning three of four championships since then, three cups and two super cups. Before Slovenia's independence in 1991, Maribor played in the Yugoslav football league system. It is one of only three Slovenian teams that took part in the country's highest division, the Yugoslav First League, between 1945 and the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991. However, the club did not have great success during its time in Yugoslavia, and its best result was in the 1967–68 season, when they reached the semi-finals of the Yugoslav Cup. In addition, it is the only Slovenian club, and one of four clubs from the former Yugoslavia, to have taken part in the group stage of the Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

The team maintains a strong rivalry with Olimpija Ljubljana from the capital, against whom they play the Eternal Derby (Večni derbi). Its other great rivalry is against Mura 05 of Murska Sobota, and the matches between the two are called the North-east Derby (Severovzhodni derbi). Maribor also has a loyal and passionate base of supporters, and the club has the highest average attendance in Slovenia. The club's stadium is the Ljudski vrt stadium, which has a capacity of 12,994 spectators. The building was constructed in 1952 and later underwent a series of major reconstructions in the 1990s and 2000s.

The club's youth academy, which is known as the best in Slovenia, is responsible for the development of the club's lower-category footballers and has enjoyed a good deal of success in producing young prospects. Maribor's nicknames are Vijoličasti ("The Purples") and Vijolice ("The Violets"), both referring to the club's traditional colours. Maribor's motto is En klub, ena čast ("One club, one honour").