Gunnar Gren
Encyclopedia
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
. Gren has won numerous awards including an Olympic Gold Medal in 1948, Guldbollen
in 1946, and was a part of the 1958 Swedish National Team that took second place. Gren is considered to be one of Sweden's most prolific football players and a statue has been erected in his honor outside of Gamla Ullevi
stadium.
, Gothenburg
. From a young age, Gren excelled in football. On 7 October 1934, Gothenburg Football Association President Carl "Ceve" Linde held a juggling contest. He won his first sporting prize - a bronze plaque. Göteborgs Sport Bladet wrote about 13 year old Gunnar's skills and how he outshone some of the big boy in the national league. The then, 13-year-old Gunnar played for Bollklubben Strix. During his youth, he played for Lindholmens BK and GAIK before playing Gårda BK
.
. He made his Allsvenskan
debut on 1 September 1938 against Malmö FF
which resulted in a scoreless draw. During his time there, he played a total of 54 matches scoring 16 goals.
in 1946.
In August 1941, IFK played against Gårda BK winning 6-1 with Gunnar Gren scoring the first goal. His last game played was on 6 June 1949 verses IFK Norrköping
at Gamla Ullevi
in which IFK loss 0-1. He had played 164 matches for "Blue" and scored 78 goals.
trio with his international teammates Gunnar Nordahl
('No') and Nils Liedholm
('Li'). He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore " which translates to the professor. While at AC Milan, he won the League Title for the 1950/51 Season. He made 133 appearances in Serie A and scored 38 goals. Gren also managed AC Milan in 1952 before moving to AC Fiorentina.
as player-manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.
on 29 August 1940 in the team's 3-2 win over Finland
. His last cap for the team came on 26 October 1958 against Denmark
in a 4-4 draw. At the time, Gren was 37 years, 360 days old. He was a member of the Sweden team that were runners-up in the 1958 World Cup. He is most remembered for his goal against West Germany during the 1958 World Cup semi-finals, which eliminated the defending champions from the tournament. In all, Gren made 57 appearances for the national team, scoring 32 goals. Gren was also a part of the team that won a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics
in London.
. Gren then managed for GAIS
, IFK Värnamo
, Redbergslids IK
, Skogens IF, IK Oddevold
and Fässbergs IF
.
, Västra Götaland, Sweden.
*Stats do not include 4/0 Latin Cup (for Milan)
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....
football
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...
player and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He is best known for playing for IFK Gothenburg and AC Milan. He was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li is a contraction of the surnames of three Swedish footballers: 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...
" trio of 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...
at A.C. 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...
and 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...
. Gren has won numerous awards including an Olympic Gold Medal in 1948, Guldbollen
Guldbollen
Guldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
in 1946, and was a part of the 1958 Swedish National Team that took second place. Gren is considered to be one of Sweden's most prolific football players and a statue has been erected in his honor outside of Gamla Ullevi
Gamla Ullevi
Gamla Ullevi meaning Old Ullevi was a football stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built in 1915-1916 and opened on 17 September 1916 with the game between IFK Göteborg-AB København...
stadium.
Early years
Gunnar Gren was born on 31 October 1920 to parents Joahn Olsson and Gerda Maria Olsson. Gren, a son of a carpenter, grew up in MajornaMajorna
This article is about the borough in Gothenburg. For the district in Gothenburg with the same, see Majorna .Majorna was until 2011 one of the 21 boroughs of Gothenburg Municipality...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. From a young age, Gren excelled in football. On 7 October 1934, Gothenburg Football Association President Carl "Ceve" Linde held a juggling contest. He won his first sporting prize - a bronze plaque. Göteborgs Sport Bladet wrote about 13 year old Gunnar's skills and how he outshone some of the big boy in the national league. The then, 13-year-old Gunnar played for Bollklubben Strix. During his youth, he played for Lindholmens BK and GAIK before playing Gårda BK
Gårda BK
Gårda BK is a Swedish football club located in Gothenburg. The club, formed 1 November 1919, is currently playing in a local league. The club has played eight seasons in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
.
Gårda BK
In 1937, he started playing for Gårda BKGårda BK
Gårda BK is a Swedish football club located in Gothenburg. The club, formed 1 November 1919, is currently playing in a local league. The club has played eight seasons in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
. He made his Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
debut on 1 September 1938 against Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
which resulted in a scoreless draw. During his time there, he played a total of 54 matches scoring 16 goals.
IFK Goteborg
In 1942, he was recruited by IFK Gothenburg. During that time, Gren won one national championships in the 1941/42 season and was top scorer in 1947. He won the first ever GuldbollenGuldbollen
Guldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
in 1946.
In August 1941, IFK played against Gårda BK winning 6-1 with Gunnar Gren scoring the first goal. His last game played was on 6 June 1949 verses IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping is a Swedish football club based in Norrköping. The club, formed on 29 May 1897, is currently playing in the first division of Swedish football, Allsvenskan...
at Gamla Ullevi
Gamla Ullevi
Gamla Ullevi meaning Old Ullevi was a football stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built in 1915-1916 and opened on 17 September 1916 with the game between IFK Göteborg-AB København...
in which IFK loss 0-1. He had played 164 matches for "Blue" and scored 78 goals.
AC Milan
On 11 September 1949, he made his debut for AC Milan against Sampdoria-Milan, 1-3. During his time with AC Milan, he became the 'Gre' part of the famous Gre-No-LiGre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li is a contraction of the surnames of three Swedish footballers: 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...
trio with his international teammates Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
('No') 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...
('Li'). He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore " which translates to the professor. While at AC Milan, he won the League Title for the 1950/51 Season. He made 133 appearances in Serie A and scored 38 goals. Gren also managed AC Milan in 1952 before moving to AC Fiorentina.
AC Fiorentina/Genoa CFC/ Örgryte IS
In 1953, Gren moved to AC Fiorentina where he made 55 appearances and scored 5 goals. Then in 1955, Gren moved to Genoa CFC here he made 29 appearances and 2 goals. Tired of Italy, Gren decided to move back to Sweden. In 1956, Gren returned to Gothenburg where he played for Örgryte ISÖrgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
as player-manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.
International career
Gren made his debut for SwedenSweden 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...
on 29 August 1940 in the team's 3-2 win over Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
. His last cap for the team came on 26 October 1958 against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in a 4-4 draw. At the time, Gren was 37 years, 360 days old. He was a member of the Sweden team that were runners-up in the 1958 World Cup. He is most remembered for his goal against West Germany during the 1958 World Cup semi-finals, which eliminated the defending champions from the tournament. In all, Gren made 57 appearances for the national team, scoring 32 goals. Gren was also a part of the team that won a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in London.
Management
Whilst at AC Milan, Gren managed the team in 1952. Also, Gran managed both Örgryte IS and GAIS as player manager. After retiring as a player, Gren managed several teams. Gren became co-manager for Juventus for a brief period in 1961 along with Július KorostelevJúlius Korostelev
Július Korostelev was a Czechoslovakian football player and manager born in Turčiansky Svätý Martin...
. Gren then managed for GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...
, IFK Värnamo
IFK Värnamo
IFK Värnamo is a Swedish football club located in Värnamo. The club is currently playing in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan. The most famous player from the club is Jonas Thern, who was captain of the Swedish national team in World Cup '94 USA....
, Redbergslids IK
Redbergslids IK
Redbergslids IK, RIK, is a handball team from Gothenburg, Sweden founded in 1916. Redbergslid is the most successful in Swedish titles, with twenty titles...
, Skogens IF, IK Oddevold
IK Oddevold
IK Oddevold is a Swedish football club located in Uddevalla, the name "Oddevold" being an older form of Uddevalla. The club, formed on 3 July 1932, currently plays in Sweden's third-flight league, Division 1...
and Fässbergs IF
Fässbergs IF
Fässbergs IF is a Swedish football club, founded in 1916. They are based in Mölndal, near Gothenburg. The team won the Svenska Mästerskapet in 1924.-Background:...
.
Retirement
Gren retired from football in the 1970s. He died ten days after his 71st birthday and is buried in Västra Kyrkogården (Western Cemetery), GothenburgGothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Västra Götaland, Sweden.
Domestic league statistics
| Club | Season | League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| Gårda Gårda BK Gårda BK is a Swedish football club located in Gothenburg. The club, formed 1 November 1919, is currently playing in a local league. The club has played eight seasons in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan... |
1936-37 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-38 | 22 | 4 | |
| 1938-39 | 22 | 8 | |
| 1939-40 | 9 | 4 | |
| Göteborg IFK Göteborg IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups.... |
1940-41 Allsvenskan 1940-41 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1940/1941.-Overview:The league was contested by 12 teams, with Helsingborgs IF winning the championship.-League table:... |
26 | 10 |
| 1941-42 Allsvenskan 1941-42 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1941/1942.-League table:... |
22 | 9 | |
| 1942-43 Allsvenskan 1942-43 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1942/1943.-League table:... |
21 | 11 | |
| 1943-44 Allsvenskan 1943-44 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1943/1944.-League table:... |
16 | 8 | |
| 1944-45 Allsvenskan 1944-45 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1944/1945.-League table:... |
19 | 14 | |
| 1945-46 Allsvenskan 1945-46 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1945/1946.-League table:... |
20 | 18 | |
| 1946-47 Allsvenskan 1946-47 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1946/1947.-League table:... |
22 | 8 | |
| 1947-48 Allsvenskan 1947-48 Statistics of Allsvenskan in season 1947/1948.-League table:... |
21 | 1 | |
| 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... |
1949-50 Serie A 1949-50 -Final classification:-Results:... |
37 | 18 |
| 1950-51 Serie A 1950-51 -Final classification:-Results:... |
36 | 9 | |
| 1951-52 Serie A 1951-52 -Final classification:-Results:... |
31 | 7 | |
| 1952-53 Serie A 1952-53 -Final classification:-Results:... |
29 | 4 | |
| Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... |
1953-54 Serie A 1953-54 -Final classification:-Results:... |
33 | 2 |
| 1954-55 Serie A 1954-55 -Final classification:-Results:... |
23 | 2 | |
| Genoa Genoa C.F.C. Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria... |
1955-56 Serie A 1955-56 -Final classification:-Results:... |
32 | 23 |
| Örgryte Örgryte IS Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After... |
1956-57 | ? | ? |
| 1957-58 | ? | ? | |
| 1958-59 | ? | ? | |
| Total for Milan | 133 | 38 | |
| Career totals | ? | ? | |
*Stats do not include 4/0 Latin Cup (for Milan)
Awards & Honors
IFK Göteborg
- AllsvenskanAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
(1): 1941 - Top Scorer: 1947
AC Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
: First place: 1950-1951 - Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
: Second place:1949-50, 1951–52
Swedish National Team
- 1958 World Cup: 2nd place
- 1948 Olympics1948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
: Gold Medal
Individual
- GuldbollenGuldbollenGuldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
: 1946 - Goteborg Football Association Juggling Award: 1934
External links
- Profile
- Detail of international appearances and goals - by Roberto Mamrud, RSSSF