Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense

Grêmio is a Brazilian football team team from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include two Copa Libertadores de América (the premier South American club championship) and one Intercontinental Cup (the world club championship).

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

Gremio's greatest rival is Sport Club Internacional, and every match between the two sides is a highly fierce and mythic derby of Brazilian football, called a "Gre-Nal".

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, watched the match and became enchanted by the sport. 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 the club. Carlos Luiz Bohrer was elected the club's first president. In the same day, a club called Fussball Club Porto Alegre was also founded. Grêmio and Fussball Club Porto Alegre were founded seeking to attract the Porto Alegre city German community. On March 16, 1904, at Parque da Várzea, Grêmio beat Porto Alegre 1-0 and became the favorite club of the German community. This would reflect in the racial limitations imposed to the players. The first black player would be Tesourinha, in the 50´s.

On July 18, 1909, Grêmio beat Internacional 10-0. At that time, there was no rivalry between Grêmio and Internacional (the so-called Gre-Nal), but nowadays this victory is remembered with pride by the Gremistas (Grêmio supporters).

In 1919, Grêmio was one of the founders of Fundação Rio-Grandense de Desportes. In 1921, a year after the arrival of goalkeeper Eurico Lara, Grêmio won its first state championship.

On May 19, 1935, Grêmio became the first Rio Grande do Sul team to beat a Paulista team. Grêmio beat Santos 3-2. Grêmio was also the first club outside Rio de Janeiro state to play at Maracanã, defeating Flamengo 3-1.

On May 3, 1981, Grêmio won its first national championship, after defeating São Paulo in the final.

In 1983, Grêmio won its first international title, after defeating Peñarol of Uruguay in the Copa Libertadores final. In the same year, Grêmio won the Intercontinental Cup after defeating Hamburger SV of Germany 2-1.

In 1989, Grêmio won Copa do Brasil first edition, after humiliating Flamengo 6-1 in the second leg of the semifinals, and defeating Sport Recife in the finals.

In 1991, after a poor campaign, Grêmio was relegated to the Brazilian Second Division, but returned to the first division in 1993.

In 1994, Grêmio won its second Copa do Brasil defeating Ceará in the finals.

In 1995, Grêmio, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, won Copa Libertadores after defeating Atlético Nacional of Colombia in the final. However, Grêmio was defeated by Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands in the penalty shootout of the Intercontinental Cup.

On December 15, 1996, Grêmio won its second national championship, after defeating Portuguesa in the final.

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.

In 2001, Grêmio won its fourth Copa do Brasil, by 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 3-1.

In 2004, after a very poor campaign, when the club ended in the last position of the competition, Grêmio was again relegated to the Brazilian Second Division.

On November 26, 2005, at Estádio dos Aflitos, Recife, Grêmio, after having four players sent off, 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.

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.

Titles

International
- Intercontinental Cup: 1983
- Copa Libertadores de América: 1983 and 1995
- Recopa Sudamericana: 1996

National
- Campeonato Brasileiro: 1981, 1996
- Copa do Brasil: 1989, 1994, 1997 and 2001
- Campeonato Brasileiro Second Division: 2005
- Supercopa do Brasil: 1990
- Copa Sul: 1999

State
- Thirty-four 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 and 2006

Youth
- Copa Macaé de Juvenis 2004

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	23th	1995	15th	2005	-
1976	6th	1986	14th	1996	1st	2006
1977	13th	1987	5th	1997	15th	2007
1978	6th	1988	4th	1998	8th	2008
1979	22nd	1989	11th	1999	18th	2009
1980	6th	1990	3rd	2000	4th	2010

Stadium

Grêmio's stadium is Estádio Olímpico Monumental, built in 1954, with a maximum capacity of 54,081 people.

Famous players

Adílson
Airton
Alcindo
Ancheta
Anderson
Anderson Polga
Baltazar
Batista
Danrlei
De León
Dinho
Eder
Eduardo Costa
Edinho
Emerson
Émerson Leão
Eurico Lara
Everaldo
Francisco Arce
Jardel
Mário Sérgio
Ortunho
Paulo Isidoro
Paulo Nunes
Renato Gaúcho
Ronaldinho
Tarciso
Tesourinha

Famous coaches

Trivia

On August 25, 1912, Grêmio beat Sport Clube Nacional of Porto Alegre 23-0. Sisson scored 14 goals in the match. That was Grêmio's largest win ever.
On May 30, 1979, Grêmio played a match in a snow covered football field. The match, played in Bento Gonçalves, against a local team called Esportivo ended in a 0-0 draw.

Anthem

Grêmio's anthem is supposed to be the most interesting (artistically) among all Brazilian clubs because, except for 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 a 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 / for whatever and whichever / but it is sure we will be / with Grêmio wherever it is). 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 anywhere 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 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.

However, Grêmio is not the only Brazilian team to have a musketeer as their mascot. Corinthians' mascot is also a musketeer.

Team kit evolution

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

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

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

The Rivalry

As the years went on Grêmio and another important Brazilian football club, Internacional, started forming a rivalry. Soon the games between these two club got there own names, Gre-Nals, making record attendances. Now the games fill the streets of Porto Alegre of football crazed fans.