Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense/import

Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, most commonly referred to as simply Grêmio, is a Brazilian professional football team based in 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. Grêmio plays in a tricolour (blue, white and black) striped shirt, black shorts and white socks (first kit). The club enjoys a cross-city rivalry with Sport Club Internacional, with their derbies known as "Gre-Nal".

The club is officially ranked the #1 Brazilian team by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). Grêmio is also ranked the #3 Brazilian team in continental competitions by CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation)

The Beginning


On September 7, 1903 Brazil's first football team, Sport Club Rio Grande, played an exhibition match in Porto Alegre. An entrepreneur from Sorocaba, São Paulo named Cândido Dias became bewildered by the sport and went to the field to watch the match. During the match, the ball deflated. As the only owner of a football in Porto Alegre, he lent his ball to the players, and the match was resumed. After the match, he learned from the players 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 first president.

The first match of the new club took place in March 06, 1904, against Fuss Ball Porto Alegre. Two matches were played that day. Grêmio won the first match 1-0. Newspaper reports of the day do not mention which 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.

In the early years of Grêmio’s history, football was not a very popular game in Brazil and few teams existed. On July 18, 1909, Grêmio beat Internacional 10-0, when S.C Internacional made its debut. Reportedly Grêmio’s goalkeeper Kallfelz left the field and went to talk with the fans during the match. Even now this victory is remembered with pride by the Gremistas (Grêmio supporters). The match was the starting point for a strong rivalry which lives on to this day. The so-called 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. On July 07, 1911 Grêmio beat Uruguay's National squad team 2-1. In 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 team from Rio Grande do Sul 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 Maracanã Stadium, defeating Flamengo 3-1, in 1950.

During this period, Grêmio started to make a name abroad. In 1932 it participated in its first international match, when it 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. In that 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 to beat Boca at 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 professionalism at club
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 o Grêmio estiver” (“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 Argentine, 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.

Valdir Espinosa and the Intercontinental Cup 1983
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 inside and outside the pitch, and now is recalled as the “Batalha de La Plata” (“Battle of La Plata”), alluding to the hometown of Estudiantes. In the finals, Grêmio ousted Peñarol from Uruguay, with a 1-1 tie in Montevideo and a 2-1 win in Porto Alegre. The winning goal was scored by César nearly before the end of the match. A year later, Grêmio would be the runner-up of the Copa Libertadores finals, 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 succeeded in ascending 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.

Luiz Felipe Scolari and the Libertadores 1995
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. 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.

Mano Menezes and the Libertadores 2007
In 2004, performing poorly for two consecutive seasons in the Série A, 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 alike that 2 movies and a book were made to relate the second qualification for the First Division. 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 final.

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.

In 2008, after the sudden firing of their new manager Vagner Mancini, the club hired Celso Roth. Within a month they had prematurley dropped out of both the domestic cup (the Copa do Brasil) and their state championship (Campeonato Gaucho). This led to the team going through a state of crisis and, soon after, major renovation. They were expected to be on the bottom half of the Campeonato Brasileiro's table, and maybe even relegation, but managed to finish at 2nd place. Even so, that was considered a failure by many supporters, as at the first half of the championship the team was considered by most commentators as the best of the country, and suffered very unnexpected loses during the last games. Those often are pointed as the reason why the team lost the chanpionship.

World

 * Toyota Intercontinental Cup: 1983
 * Runner-up: 1995

Continental

 * Copa Libertadores de América: 1983, 1995
 * Runner-up: 1984, 2007.
 * Recopa Sudamericana: 1996.

National

 * Campeonato Brasileiro - First Division: 1981 and 1996.
 * Runner-up: 1982 and 2008
 * Copa do Brasil: 1989, 1994, 1997 and 2001.
 * Campeonato Brasileiro - Second Division: 2005.
 * Supercopa do Brasil: 1990.

Regional

 * Copa Sul: 1999
 * Sul-Brasileiro: 1962 (Special Edition)

State

 * State Championships : 1921, 1922, 1926, 1931, 1932, 1946, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2007.

City

 * Porto Alegre champion : 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960.
 * Wanderpreiss Cup 1904, 1905 and 1906

Youth

 * Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20 : 2008
 * Copa Macaé de Juvenis : 2004
 * Copa Santiago de Futebol Juvenil : 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2008
 * Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores : 2008

Current Squad
As January 29, 2009

Technical staff

 * Celso Roth – Head Coach
 * Marcelo Rospide e Rafael Vieira – Assistant Coaches
 * Beto Ferreira – Fitness Coach
 * Francisco Cersósimo – Goalkeeping Coach
 * Júlio Camargo – Under-20 Team Coach
 * Luís Paulo Peixoto "Bugre" – Under-17 Team Coach
 * Alarico Endres, Felipe do Canto e Márcio Bolzoni – Club Doctors
 * José Leandro, Henrique Valente e Rafael Gobato – Physiotherapists
 * Marcos Zeilmann e Zezinho – Masseurs

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 Olímpinico 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.

Former coaches

 * 🇧🇷 Mano Menezes
 * 🇧🇷 Émerson Leão
 * 🇧🇷 Ênio Andrade
 * 🇧🇷 Evaristo de Macedo
 * 🇧🇷 Luiz Felipe Scolari
 * 🇧🇷 Rubens Minelli
 * 🇧🇷 Telê Santana
 * 🇧🇷 Tite
 * 🇧🇷 Valdir Espinosa

Anthem
Grêmio's anthem is one of the most critically well-acclaimed amongst all Brazilian clubs because, other than 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).

The supporters
Grêmio's Torcida are Geral, Máfia Tricolor, Garra Tricolor. Super Raça Gremista and Torcida Jovem do Grêmio.

The rivalry
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...

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.

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.