Gre-No-Li
Encyclopedia
Gre-No-Li is a contraction of the surnames of three Swedish
footballer
s: Gunnar Gren
, Gunnar Nordahl
and Nils Liedholm
. The denomination was colloquially used after these players composed a formidable trio of strikers while playing for the Swedish national team
and Italian
club AC Milan
in the 1950s.
The three forwards
led Sweden to Olympic
gold
at the 1948 Olympic tournament
in London
. Shortly after that success, centre-forward Nordahl joined Milan, and was accompanied by Gren and Liedholm in the 1949-50 season, during which Milan scored 118 goals in 38 matches. The trio's most noted achievement at the club level came the following season, when Milan won the scudetto
. Liedholm and Nordahl also won the title in 1955, while Liedholm won two more titles in 1957 and 1959, after both Gren and Nordahl had moved away. Gunnar Nordahl was particularly successful in Italy, as he was the overall top-scorer in five of six Serie A
seasons between 1949 and 1955. He remains, as of 2010, the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the league.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
s: Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren was a Swedish football player and coach. He is best known for playing for IFK Gothenburg and AC Milan. He was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...
, Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
and Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone , as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...
. The denomination was colloquially used after these players composed a formidable trio of strikers while playing for the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the 1950s.
The three forwards
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
led Sweden to Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 1948 Olympic tournament
Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Olympic Games title was won by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.-Summary:Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournament but there were exceptional performances put...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Shortly after that success, centre-forward Nordahl joined Milan, and was accompanied by Gren and Liedholm in the 1949-50 season, during which Milan scored 118 goals in 38 matches. The trio's most noted achievement at the club level came the following season, when Milan won the scudetto
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. Liedholm and Nordahl also won the title in 1955, while Liedholm won two more titles in 1957 and 1959, after both Gren and Nordahl had moved away. Gunnar Nordahl was particularly successful in Italy, as he was the overall top-scorer in five of six Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
seasons between 1949 and 1955. He remains, as of 2010, the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the league.