Gunnar Gren (31 October 1920 – 10 November 1991) 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.
[edit] 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 Majorna, Gothenburg.[1] 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.[2] During his youth, he played for Lindholmens BK and GAIK before playing Gårda BK.
[edit] Club career
[edit] Gårda BK
In 1937, he started playing for 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.[3]
[edit] 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 Guldbollen in 1946.[4] 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.
[edit] 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-Li trio with his international teammates Gunnar Nordahl ('No') and Nils Liedholm ('Li').[5] He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore " which translates to the professor.[6] 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.[7] Gren also managed AC Milan in 1952 before moving to AC Fiorentina.
[edit] 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.[8] Tired of Italy, Gren decided to move back to Sweden. In 1956, Gren returned to Gothenburg where he played for Örgryte IS as player-manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.[9]
[edit] International career
Gren made his debut for Sweden 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.
[edit] 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 Korostelev. Gren then managed for GAIS,[10] IFK Värnamo, Redbergslids IK, Skogens IF, IK Oddevold and Fässbergs IF.
[edit] Retirement
Gren retired from football in the 1970s. He died ten days after his 71st birthday and is buried in Västra Kyrkogården (Western Cemetery), Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden.
[edit] Domestic league statistics
*Stats do not include 4/0 Latin Cup (for Milan)
[edit] Awards & Honors
Statue of Gunnar Gren outside of (the now demolished and rebuilt)
Gamla Ullevi stadium.
[edit] IFK Göteborg
[edit] AC Milan
- Serie A: First place: 1950-1951
- Serie A: Second place:1949-50, 1951–52
[edit] Swedish National Team
[edit] Individual
- Guldbollen: 1946
- Goteborg Football Association Juggling Award: 1934
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Gren, Gunnar |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
31 October 1920 |
| Place of birth |
Gårda, Sweden |
| Date of death |
10 November 1991 |
| Place of death |
Göteborg, Sweden |
Sweden
