Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense

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Grêmio
Grêmio's logo
Full name Grêmio FootBall Porto-Alegrense
Nickname(s) Imortal Tricolor (Three-colored Immortal)
Founded September 15, 1903
Ground Olímpico Monumental,
Porto Alegre, Brazil
(Capacity 51,082)
Chairman Flag of Brazil Paulo Odone Ribeiro
Manager Flag of Brazil Celso Roth
League Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
2007 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 6th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, usually known simply as Grêmio, is a Brazilian football team from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa Libertadores de América, two national championships and four national cups.

They play in blue, white and black striped shirts, black shorts and white socks.

Grêmio is officially ranked number one by CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) [1]. Grêmio is also officially ranked 3rd Brazilian team in continental competitions by CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) [2]

Grêmio enjoy a cross-city rivalry with Sport Club Internacional, with their derbies known as a "Gre-Nal".

Contents

[edit] History

On September 7, 1903, Sport Club Rio Grande, the first Brazilian football team, played an exhibition match in Porto Alegre. An entrepreneur from Sorocaba, São Paulo called Cândido Dias became enchanted by the sport and went to the field to watch the match. During the match, the ball deflated. As the owner of the only football of Porto Alegre, he lent his ball to the players, and the match was resumed. After the match, he learned from the players instructions about football and how to found a club. On September 15, 1903, 32 people, including Cândido Dias, met at Salão Grau restaurant and founded Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense. Carlos Luiz Bohrer was elected the club's first president.

The first match of the new club happened in March 06, 1904, against Fuss Ball Porto Alegre. Two matches were played at the same day, and Grêmio won the first match 1-0. There is no information on the newspapers of that day regarding the player who scored the first goal of Grêmio’s history. The trophy Grêmio won that day, the Wanderpreis, still exists and is displayed at the club’s museum. Five months later, Grêmio inaugurated his first stadium, called Baixada.

At the first years of Grêmio’s history, football was not a very popular game in Brazil and therefore there weren’t many teams around. On July 18, 1909, Grêmio beat Internacional 10-0, when the S.C Internacional made its first debut ever. It is reported that Grêmio’s goalkeeper Kallfelz left the field and went to talk with the fans during the match, such was the superiority of his team. Even now this victory is remembered with pride by the Gremistas (Grêmio supporters) and with shame by the Colorados (S.C Internacional supporters). This match was the starting line for a strong rivalry which lives on to this day, and the Gre-Nal is considered by many to be one of the most impressive derbies in the world.

Grêmio was one of the founding members of Porto Alegre’s football league in 1910, and in 1911 won the city league for the first time. On August 25, 1912, on a match for this city league, Grêmio beat Sport Clube Nacional of Porto Alegre 23-0. Sisson scored 14 goals in the match. That was Grêmio's largest win ever.

In 1918, Grêmio was one of the founders of Fundação Rio-Grandense de Desportes (later known as Federação Gaúcha de Futebol), a club federation which organized the first state championships of Rio Grande do Sul. The first championship was scheduled for 1918, but an epidemic of Spanish Flu forced the whole event to be cancelled. The first Rio Grande do Sul championship took place in 1919. In 1921, a year after the arrival of legendary goalkeeper Eurico Lara, Grêmio won its first state championship.

Grêmio reached a lot of pioneering achievements throughout the years. July 07, 1911 saw Grêmio winning Uruguay first squad team 2-1, a nearly unbelievable triumph at the time. On 1931, Grêmio installed a light system at Baixada stadium and became one of the first teams in Brazil to play matches at night. On May 19, 1935, Grêmio became the first Rio Grande do Sul team to beat a team from the state of São Paulo, considered the strongest Brazilian league at the time. Grêmio beat Santos 3-2. Grêmio was also the first club outside Rio de Janeiro state to play at legendary Maracanã Stadium, defeating Flamengo 3-1, in 1950.

During this period, Grêmio also conquered important goals outside of Brazil. In 1932 the first international match took place, when Grêmio went to Rivera (Uruguay) to face a local squad. A 1949 match against Uruguay’s Nacional ended in a 3-1 win for Grêmio, and the players were received with great honors when they returned to Porto Alegre. At the same year, Grêmio played for the first time in Central America. During the years 1953-1954, Grêmio went to play on three different countries (Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia). This achievement was named “the conquest of the Americas”. On February 25, 1959, Grêmio defeated Boca Juniors 4-1 in Buenos Aires, becoming the first foreign team in history to beat Boca at the mythic La Bombonera Stadium. And in 1961, Grêmio went for its first (and very successful) European jaunt, playing 24 matches at 11 countries: France, Rumania, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Denmark, Estonia and Russia.

The Gremistas were growing in number, and soon became known for their fanaticism and loyalty to Grêmio. In 1946 appears for the first time the famous statement “com o Grêmio onde estiver o Grêmio” (“with Grêmio wherever Grêmio may be”), which was later incorporated at Grêmio’s official anthem. This phrase was created by Salim Nigri, one of the most famous and revered Grêmio’s fans. It refers to the Gremistas fame of being at the attendance of all Grêmio matches, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles, even making long trips to reach the fields where Grêmio would play.

At the late 1950s, Grêmio became a participant of Taça Brasil, the Brazilian league at the time. The team from Porto Alegre went well, reaching the Taça Brasil semifinals at the years 1959, 1963 and 1967. At 1968, the team won its first international title, in a friendly cup with teams from Brazil and Uruguay. During this period, Grêmio was also the owner of the biggest private stadium in Brazil at the time, the Olímpico Stadium, which was inaugurated at 1954.

In 1971, the Taça Brasil championship was substituted by the Campeonato Brasileiro, which is the greatest football event in Brazil even today. The first goal ever scored in the Campeonato Brasileiro was signed by the Grêmio player Scotta, an Argentinean, in a match against São Paulo at Estádio do Morumbi. Grêmio maintained a series of respectable results in Campeonato Brasileiro, usually staying at the top half of the league tables.

The major achievements on Grêmio history came in the 1980s. It coincides with the conclusion of the Grêmio stadium in July 1980, which was called Olímpico Monumental from that point onwards. On May 3, 1981, Grêmio won its first Campeonato Brasileiro, after defeating São Paulo in the final at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. The scores at the two-leg final were 2-1 at Olímpico and 1-0 for Grêmio at Morumbi. The winning goal was scored by attacker Baltazar. A little bit earlier, in April 26, 1981 Olímpico had its biggest attendance ever, when 98.421 fans went to see Grêmio lose to Ponte Preta 0-1 on Campeonato Brasileiro semifinals. This record will never be beaten, as Olímpico Monumental later went through reforming and nowadays it holds no more than 50.000 people.

1983 was the most well-succeeded year in Grêmio’s history. First, it won the south-American league Copa Libertadores, after a consistent yet eventful campaign. One of the matches of the semifinal triangular, the 3-3 draw against Estudiantes at Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, became legendary for its belligerence in and outside the pitch, and now is recalled as the “Batalha de La Plata” (“Battle of La Plata”), alluding to the hometown of Estudiantes. At the finals, Grêmio beat Peñarol from Uruguay, with a 1-1 draw at Montevideo and a 2-1 win at Porto Alegre. The winning goal was scored by César nearly before the end of the match. A year later, Grêmio would play the Copa Libertadores finals once again, but eventually would lose the title, being defeated by Argentina’s Independiente.

In the same year of 1983, Grêmio won the Intercontinental Cup after defeating Hamburger SV of Germany 2-1. Renato scored the two goals, and players like the Uruguayan defender De León and goalkeeper Mazaropi are also regarded as heroes of this feat. In Porto Alegre, Grêmio's fans started to repeat the famous statement: "The Earth is Blue". Another famous statement created by Grêmio's fans when the club won the World Club title is "Nada Pode Ser Maior" (in English, "Nothing Can Be Greater"). Soon after winning the Intercontinental Cup, Grêmio beat America of Mexico in Los Angeles, and won the Los Angeles Cup.

In 1989, Grêmio won at the first edition of Copa do Brasil, a Brazilian knockout cup created to congregate football teams from all of the country. After humiliating Flamengo – the most supported football team in Brazil – with a 6-1 win in the second leg of the semifinals, Grêmio defeated Sport Recife in the finals, with a 0-0 draw in Recife and a 2-1 win in Porto Alegre.

In 1991, after a poor season, Grêmio was relegated for the first time to the Brazilian Second Division of Campeonato Brasileiro. Next year Grêmio succeed to ascend again to Campeonato Brasileiro’s elite in 1993. After this return to top form, 1994 saw Grêmio winning its second Copa do Brasil, defeating Ceará in the finals with 0-0 and 1-0, goal scored by striker Nildo.The club then started its Tokyo Project.

In May 1995, Grêmio, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, was runner up of the Copa do Brasil, losing the final match to Corinthians 0-1 at Olímpico Monumental. When the game finished, no one could hear the Corinthians crowd, because Grêmio's fans, even losing the title, started to sing the club's anthem. This event became another landmark of Gremistas fidelity to the club. In August, a few days after beating historic antagonists Internacional for the state title (a match in which Grêmio played with a second squad), the club won Copa Libertadores for the second time in its history. In the finals, Grêmio defeated Atletico Nacional of Colombia, with 3-1 on Porto Alegre and a 1-1 draw in Medellín. However, trying to reach its second World Club title, Grêmio had a player sent off and was eventually defeated by Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands in the penalty shootout of the Intercontinental Cup. Early 1996 saw Grêmio winning Recopa Sudamericana, beating Argentina's Independiente 4-1.

On December 15, 1996, Grêmio won its second Campeonato Brasileiro, after defeating Portuguesa in the finals. Portuguesa won the first match 2-0, and therefore Grêmio was forced to win the final match at Porto Alegre for the same score or more, so it could be champion for having the best campaign throughout the league. Eventually, Grêmio reached the 2-0 score, with midfielder Ailton scoring the winning goal few minutes before the final whistle.

In 1997, Grêmio won its third Copa do Brasil title. In the finals against Flamengo, Grêmio won after a 0-0 draw in Porto Alegre and a 2-2 in Rio de Janeiro. For scoring as a visitor, Grêmio was the winner. Four years later, in 2001, Grêmio won its fourth Copa do Brasil, defeating Corinthians. The first final game, in Porto Alegre, finished with the scoreboard 2-2, and the second game in São Paulo ended with Grêmio's victory by 3-1, in a match which is regarded by many as one of the finest in Grêmio’s history.

In 2004, after two years of very poor seasons, Grêmio was once again relegated to Campeonato Brasileiro’s Second Division, after placing in the last position of the league table. Grêmio’s task was much more difficult this time, as only two clubs would be qualified for the First Division. On November 26, 2005, at Estádio dos Aflitos, Recife, after having four players sent off and two penalty kicks against (one shot at the post by Bruno Carvalho and the other saved by its goalkeeper Galatto), Grêmio beat Náutico 1-0. The goal was scored by Anderson. Grêmio won the second division of Campeonato Brasileiro, thus being promoted to the following year's first division. That match is now called "The Battle of the Aflitos" ("A Batalha dos Aflitos", "Aflitos" being the name of Náutico's home field), because all the incidents both in and outside the pitch resembled a true battle. The event became so mythical for Grêmio supporters and Brazilian football fans alike that 2 movies and a book were made to relate those facts.

On April 9, 2006, at Estádio Beira-Rio, Grêmio, won the state championship against Internacional, preventing the rival from winning its fifth title in a row. Playing away, Grêmio managed to obtain a 1-1 draw at the last match, enough to secure the title’s conquest. Grêmio players said, after the match, that there were more than 50 thousand Internacional fans in Beira Rio’s Stadium, and they could still hear the noise made by 6,000 Gremistas, which was an extra source of motivation. In 2007, at Estádio Olímpico Monumental, Grêmio won the state championship (Campeonato Gaúcho) once again, against Juventude. At the semifinals, against Caxias, Grêmio suffered a 3-0 defeat at the first match, but managed to score a 4-0 win at Olímpico and qualify to the runner-ups.

Also in 2007, Grêmio reached the final of the Copa Libertadores 2007, after a series of dramatic matches against the most regarded clubs of South America. The title, however, was won by Boca Juniors on a 5-0 aggregate score. Even after a 3-0 defeat at the first match in La Bombonera, Gremistas formed huge lines to buy tickets for the final match, some of the fans standing there for four days or more. In Campeonato Brasileiro 2007, Grêmio marked as sixth position in the league table. For 2008, Grêmio are expected to be title contenders for the Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro and South America’s Copa Sudamericana.

[edit] Titles

  • Other
    • Copa FGF - 2006
    • Phillips Cup – 1986 e 1987
    • Torneio de Rotterdam – 1985
    • Los Angeles Cup: 1983
    • Sanwa Bank Cup - 1995
    • Taça Hang Ching – 1998
    • Copa Rio de La Plata – 1968
    • Torneio Ciudad Palma de Mallorca – 1985
    • Troféu Ciudad de Valladolid – 1981
    • Torneio San Salvador del Mundo – 1981
    • Troféu Agrupacion Peñas Valencianas – 1996
    • Torneio De Verão de Rosário – 1979
    • Taça do Atlântico – 1971
    • Taça Cidade de Salvador – 1972
    • Copa Farroupilha 120º Aniversário – 1955
    • Copa Porto Alegre – 1971
    • Copa Renner – 1996
    • Torneio Colombino – 1997
    • Taça Rio Branco – 1914, 1915 e 1916
    • Taça Fernando Caldas – 1928
    • Taça da Legalidade - 1962
    • Troféu Domingos Garcia Filho – 1970
    • Taça Luiz Viana Filho – 1971
    • Troféu RBS 25 Anos – 1988
    • Copa Solidariedade – 1995

[edit] Brazilian League record

Year Position Year Position Year Position Year Position
1971 6th 1981 1st 1991 19th 2001 5th
1972 10th 1982 2nd 1992 - 2002 3rd
1973 5th 1983 14th 1993 13th 2003 20th
1974 5th 1984 3rd 1994 14th 2004 24th
1975 15th 1985 23rd 1995 15th 2005 -
1976 6th 1986 14th 1996 1st 2006 3rd
1977 13th 1987 5th 1997 15th 2007 6th
1978 6th 1988 4th 1998 8th 2008
1979 22nd 1989 11th 1999 18th 2009
1980 6th 1990 3rd 2000 4th 2010

[edit] Current Squad

No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil GK Marcelo Grohe
Flag of Brazil GK Victor
Flag of Brazil GK Matheus
Flag of Brazil GK Caio Venâncio
Flag of Brazil DF Felipe
Flag of Brazil DF Paulo Sérgio
Flag of Brazil DF Léo
Flag of Brazil DF Teco
Flag of Brazil DF Jean
Flag of Brazil DF Thiego
Flag of Brazil DF Pereira
Flag of Brazil DF Héverton
Flag of Brazil DF Réver
Flag of Brazil DF Bruno Teles
Flag of Peru DF Martin Hidalgo
Flag of Brazil DF Anderson Pico
Flag of Brazil DF Hélder
Flag of Brazil MF Willian Magrão
No. Position Player
Flag of Paraguay MF Julio dos Santos
Flag of Brazil MF Maylson
Flag of Brazil MF Amaral
Flag of Brazil MF Makelelê
Flag of Brazil MF Eduardo Costa
Flag of Brazil MF Roger
Flag of Brazil MF Adílson
Flag of Brazil MF Rudinei
Flag of Brazil MF Rafael Carioca
Flag of Brazil FW Marcel
Flag of Brazil FW Rodrigo Mendes
Flag of Brazil FW Jonas
Flag of Colombia FW Edixon Perea
Flag of Brazil FW André Luís
Flag of Brazil FW Reinaldo
Flag of Brazil FW Soares

[edit] Technical staff

[edit] Junior Team (Under-20)

No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil GK Túlio Horn
Flag of Brazil GK Fernando Júnior
Flag of Brazil GK Matheus Silva
Flag of Brazil GK Gustavo Bussatto
Flag of Brazil GK Carlos
Flag of Brazil GK Alessandro
Flag of Brazil GK Allyson
Flag of Brazil DF Luther
Flag of Brazil DF Lucas Staudt
Flag of Brazil DF Marcus Vinícius
Flag of Brazil DF Jackson
Flag of Brazil DF Neuton
Flag of Brazil DF Marçal
Flag of Brazil DF Thiago Ribeiro
Flag of Brazil DF Dariano
Flag of Brazil DF André Luiz
Flag of Brazil DF Wágner
Flag of Brazil DF Sérgio
Flag of Brazil DF Paulo Henrique
Flag of Brazil DF Bruno Collaço
Flag of Brazil DF Wellington
Flag of Brazil MF Bassani
No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil MF Isael
Flag of Brazil MF Cleiton Souza
Flag of Brazil MF Pessalli
Flag of Brazil MF Tiago Dutra
Flag of Brazil MF Douglas Costa
Flag of Brazil MF Dhiego
Flag of Brazil MF Gabriel
Flag of Brazil MF Júnior
Flag of Brazil MF Paulinho
Flag of Brazil MF Julio Cesar
Flag of Brazil MF Diego Salini
Flag of Brazil MF Bruno César
Flag of Brazil MF Jeferson
Flag of Colombia FW Palacios
Flag of Brazil FW Roberson
Flag of Brazil FW Rafael Martins
Flag of Brazil FW Alex Gonçalves
Flag of Brazil FW Michel
Flag of Brazil FW Fernando Genro
Flag of Brazil FW Sato
Flag of Brazil FW Lipe
Flag of Brazil FW Rafael Alves
Flag of Brazil FW Leonardo
Flag of Brazil FW Wesley

[edit] Technical staff

[edit] Youth Team (Under-17)

No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil GK Gottfried
Flag of Brazil GK Rafael
Flag of Brazil GK Paulo
Flag of Brazil GK Luis Fernando
Flag of Brazil DF Fábio
Flag of Brazil DF Jackson
Flag of Brazil DF Felipe
Flag of Brazil DF Lucas Ruchinsque
Flag of Brazil DF Saimon
Flag of Brazil DF Ademilton
Flag of Brazil DF Gabriel Spessato
Flag of Brazil DF Robson
Flag of Brazil DF Thiago
Flag of Brazil DF Jairo
Flag of Brazil DF Luan
No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil MF Bruno Renan
Flag of Brazil MF Maicon
Flag of Brazil MF David
Flag of Brazil MF Bérgson
Flag of Brazil MF Baruch
Flag of Brazil MF Maicol
Flag of Brazil MF Gianni
Flag of Brazil MF Luiz Fernando
Flag of Brazil MF Jonas
Flag of Brazil FW Alex Júnior
Flag of Brazil FW Djeison
Flag of Brazil FW Pablo Luan
Flag of Brazil FW Lucas Espíndola

[edit] Technical staff

[edit] Children's Squad

No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil GK Janilson
Flag of Brazil GK Lucas Martins
Flag of Brazil GK Jakson
Flag of Brazil GK Guilherme Oening
Flag of Brazil DF Carlos
Flag of Brazil DF Giovani Baggio
Flag of Brazil DF Gerson (captain)
Flag of Brazil DF Guilherme Henrique
Flag of Brazil DF Sávio
Flag of Brazil DF Wesley
Flag of Brazil DF Guilherme Manske
Flag of Brazil DF David Feliciano
Flag of Brazil DF Jonatas Zanella
Flag of Brazil DF Ruan
Flag of Brazil DF Carlos Alexandre
Flag of Brazil DF Wallace
Flag of Brazil DF Matheus Lino
No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil MF Émerson Gustavo
Flag of Brazil MF Everton
Flag of Brazil MF Fabiano de Paula
Flag of Brazil MF Samir Flores
Flag of Brazil MF João Guilherme
Flag of Brazil MF Fernando
Flag of Brazil MF Léo Pereira
Flag of Hong Kong MF Chan
Flag of Brazil MF Allan de Oliveira
Flag of Brazil MF Everton Jaeger
Flag of Brazil MF Matheus Polleto
Flag of Brazil MF Matheus Kappel
Flag of Brazil MF Douglas Willian
Flag of Brazil FW Guilherme Morano (vice-captain)
Flag of Brazil FW Raphael Tubino
Flag of Brazil FW Josias
Flag of Brazil FW Romário Rodrigues

[edit] Technical Staff

[edit] Infant Squad

No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil GK Matheus
Flag of Brazil GK Maurício
Flag of Brazil GK Pedro
Flag of Brazil GK Ruschel
Flag of Brazil DF Diego
Flag of Brazil DF Maury
Flag of Brazil DF Pascoal
Flag of Brazil DF Rodrigo Ely
Flag of Brazil DF Bruno
Flag of Brazil DF Roberson
Flag of Brazil DF Thiago Zanini
Flag of Brazil DF Higor
Flag of Brazil DF William
Flag of Brazil MF Éverton
Flag of Brazil MF Gian
Flag of Brazil MF Iago
No. Position Player
Flag of Brazil MF Marcelo
Flag of Brazil MF Rafael Mendonça
Flag of Brazil MF Robert
Flag of Brazil MF Roiter
Flag of Brazil MF Silvio
Flag of Brazil MF Wagner
Flag of Brazil MF André
Flag of Brazil MF Steven
Flag of Brazil MF Matheus Favarin
Flag of Brazil MF Eduardo
Flag of Brazil MF Gian "Kibe"
Flag of Brazil MF Matheus Caetano
Flag of Brazil FW Athan
Flag of Brazil FW Rafael Rizzi
Flag of Brazil FW Antonio
Flag of Brazil FW Jean

[edit] Transfers

[edit] In

  • Flag of Brazil Júnior from no club
  • Flag of Brazil Peter from Flag of Brazil Figueirense
  • Flag of Brazil Matheus Cavichioli from Flag of Brazil Pão de Açúcar loan return
  • Flag of Brazil Paulo Sérgio from Flag of Brazil Palmeiras
  • Flag of Brazil Victor from Flag of Brazil Paulista
  • Flag of Brazil Tadeu from Flag of Brazil Juventude
  • Flag of Colombia Perea from Flag of France Bordeaux
  • Flag of Brazil Reinaldo from Flag of Brazil Botafogo
  • Flag of Brazil André Luís from Flag of Brazil Caxias
  • Flag of Brazil Roger from Flag of Brazil Corinthians loan
  • Flag of Brazil Jean from Flag of Russia Rubin Kazan loan
  • Flag of Paraguay Julio dos Santos from Flag of Germany Bayern Munich loan
  • Flag of Brazil Soares from Flag of Brazil Fluminense loan

[edit] Out

  • Flag of Brazil Galatto to Flag of Brazil Atlético Paranaense
  • Flag of Brazil Tcheco to Flag of Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
  • Flag of Paraguay Diego Gavilán to Flag of Brazil Flamengo
  • Flag of Brazil Patrício to Flag of Brazil Portuguesa
  • Flag of Brazil William to Flag of Brazil Corinthians
  • Flag of Brazil Ramón to Flag of Brazil Portuguesa loan
  • Flag of Colombia Bustos to Flag of Brazil Internacional
  • Flag of Argentina Saja to Flag of Argentina San Lorenzo loan return
  • Flag of Brazil Kelly to no club
  • Flag of Brazil Sandro Goiano to Flag of Brazil Sport
  • Flag of Brazil Geison to no club
  • Flag of Brazil Diego Souza to Flag of Brazil Palmeiras
  • Flag of Brazil Matheus Lopes to Flag of Brazil Ipatinga loan return
  • Flag of Brazil Tuta to Flag of Brazil Figueirense
  • Flag of Brazil Marcel to Flag of Brazil Cruzeiro
  • Flag of Brazil Marcelo Labarthe to Flag of Brazil Paulista loan
  • Flag of Brazil Luciano Fonseca to no club
  • Flag of Brazil Éverton to Flag of Brazil Paulista loan
  • Flag of Brazil Anderson to Flag of England Manchester United

[edit] Stadium

Estádio Olímpico Monumental, as it is called today, was inaugurated on September 19, 1954, baptized as Estádio Olímpico . It was the biggest private stadium in Brazil, then. Estádio Olímpico's first game was between Grêmio and Nacional from Montevideo; Grêmio won by a score of 2-0.The 2 first goals of the stadium were scored by Vitor, that entered in the club's history for scoring Olímpico's first goals. In 1980, Olímpico had the second ring built, and the stadium was rebaptized as Olímpico Monumental. The first Game of Olímpico Monumental, was played on June 21, 1980, and Grêmio beat Vasco da Gama by a score of 1-0. Today, Estádio Olímpico Monumental has a public record of 98,421 people in the game against Ponte Preta on April 26, 1981. The Estádio Olímpico Monumental, has 40 berths supporting 10 people and 5 berths supporting 20 people. It also has 140 Tribune of Honor special places. It has 28 special seats for handicapped people with 22 places for people making company. The Estádio Olímpico Monumental's Parking lot, has space for 700 vehicles.

Though the stadium has hosted already some Brazilian national team matches, in 2006, Grêmio's board announced the club is planning a brand new stadium in order to host some 2014 World Cup matches. In June, 2007 Mr. Paulo Odone (Gremio's president) has announced he is leaving Gremio to run a new company, Grêmio Empreendimentos. Grêmio Empreendimentos was the way the Gremio board decided to control the construction of the brand new stadium that will be situated in Porto Alegre's north area.

[edit] Immortal

Grêmio is called by its fans and by media as "The Immortal", because the team has a tradition of winning matches and especially championships when no one believes in it. It is also a reference to the team's fame of struggling for victory until the final whistle, no matter how difficult the triumph may be. There are several cases in the club's history of matches in which the team wasn't favorite at all, or had some players sent off and eventually won. There are also some cases in which the team was losing a game until the very last minutes, and then scored to win - a famous game in November 26, 2005, against Náutico from Recife, during a Second Division game from Brazilian Championship, known today as "The Battle of the Aflitos" ("A Batalha dos Aflitos") or the 1996's Brazilian Championship final match, against Portuguesa, are some examples. The "Immortal" nickname is carried with pride by the Gremistas (Grêmio's fans), but it is also used by rival Internacional fans in an ironic way - in 2007, after Grêmio losing Copa Libertadores to Boca Juniors, Internacional fans went to the streets, claiming that "The Immortal has died". Ironically, the derby happened one week later, and Grêmio defeated Internacional by the score of 2 x 0, in Beira Rio, the stadium of the opponent.

[edit] Famous players

[edit] Famous coaches

[edit] Anthem

Grêmio's anthem is one of the most critically well-acclaimed amongst all Brazilian clubs because, excepting the anthems of the clubs from Rio de Janeiro (all composed by Lamartine Babo), it is the only football anthem composed by a renowned composer, Lupicínio Rodrigues. Featuring a vivid and playful melody, the anthem features the famous verses: Até a pé nós iremos / para o que der e vier / mas o certo é que nós estaremos / com o Grêmio onde o Grêmio estiver (Even on foot we shall go / against all obstacles / but it is for sure we will be / with Grêmio wherever Grêmio may be). Grêmio fans are very fond of their faith, even when the club is not doing well, and boast that Grêmio, as the anthem hints, has never played without supporters somewhere in the world.

Eurico Lara, a goalkeeper who played for the club in the 1920s and in the 1930s, is mentioned in the anthem, where he is called the immortal idol (or craque imortal, in Portuguese).

[edit] The mascot

Grêmio's mascot, created by the editorial cartoonist Pompeo, is a musketeer (not unlike Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers), wearing the club's colors, and called simply Mosqueteiro (meaning musketeer in English). He was adopted as the club's official mascot in 1946.

[edit] Team kit evolution

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours

This was Grêmio's first kit. Its peculiarity is the presence of a tie. The colors were different from the current ones.

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours

This was Grêmio's second kit. It was an all-white shirt with black shorts and white socks.

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours

This was Grêmio's third kit. This kit is very similar to the current one, but the thin white stripes are missing.

[edit] The Rivalry

Main article: Gre-Nal

As the years went on, Grêmio and another important Brazilian football club, Internacional, started to form a rivalry. Soon the games between these two clubs got their own name, Gre-Nal, and resulted in record attendance. Now the games fill the streets of Porto Alegre with football-crazed fans. The rivalry is now so ingrained that for many gaúchos and portoalegrenses blue is the opposite colour of red...

[edit] The Gre-Nal Legend

In 1935, Eurico Lara, who was Grêmio's goalie, conceded a penalty kick. When the Internacional player was about to kick it, Lara's brother stopped the game and reminded him of his doctor's recommendation that he didn't overexert himself. He didn't listen. Soon the Internacional player took the shot. Lara caught it, but as soon as he did he fell sideways and didn't move. He was substituted after the wondrous save, and Grêmio won the game. But unfortunately he died two weeks later as a result from the fatigue from that game. Lara has been immortalized in the club anthem.

[edit] Ultras

  • Coligay
  • Geral do Grêmio
  • Super Raça Gremista
  • Garra Tricolor
  • Torcida Jovem do Grêmio

[edit] References

[edit] Websites

[edit] Books

  • Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
  • Especial Placar - 500 Times do Brasil, São Paulo: Editora Abril: 2003.

[edit] External links