Gunnar Gren

Johan Gunnar Gren (pronounced [ˈɡɵ̌nːar ˈɡreːn]; 31 October 1920 – 10 November 1991)[1] was a Swedish professional football player and coach. He is best remembered for playing for IFK Göteborg and A.C. Milan.

Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren during the FIFA World Cup in Sweden in June 1958
Personal information
Full name Johan Gunnar Gren
Date of birth 31 October 1920
Place of birth Gothenburg, Sweden
Date of death 10 November 1991(1991-11-10) (aged 71)
Place of death Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder
Youth career
Silverkällans IK
BK Strix
Lindholmens BK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1937–1940 Gårda BK 54 (16)
1941–1949 IFK Göteborg 168 (79)
1949–1953 A.C. Milan 133 (38)
1953–1955 AC Fiorentina 55 (5)
1955–1956 Genoa CFC 29 (2)
1956–1957 Örgryte IS 4 (0)
1963–1964 GAIS 22 (2)
1976 IK Oddevold 1 (0)
Total 466 (142)
National team
1939–1956 Sweden B 2 (0)
1940–1958 Sweden 57 (32)
Teams managed
1952 A.C. Milan
1956–1959 Örgryte IS
1960 IFK Göteborg
1963–1964 GAIS
1965–1966 IFK Värnamo
1967 Redbergslids IK
1968–1969 GAIS
1970 Skogens IF
1973 Fässbergs IF
1976 IK Oddevold
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
1948 London
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up1958 Sweden
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A creative forward, known for his technical skill, vision, tactical intelligence, and passing ability as a playmaker, he was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at Milan and the Sweden national team. He was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, as an offensive–minded central midfielder, known as the mezzala role in Italian football jargon, or even as a striker.[2][3]

A full international between 1940 and 1958, he won 57 caps and scored 32 goals for the Sweden national team. He was a part of the Sweden team that won gold at the 1948 Summer Olympics, as well as the team that finished second at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1946, he was awarded Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year. Gren is considered to be one of Sweden's greatest and most prolific football players; a statue has been erected in his honor outside Gamla Ullevi stadium.

Early years

Gren was born on 31 October 1920 to parents Johan Olsson and Gerda Maria Olsson. Gren, a son of a carpenter, grew up in Majorna, Gothenburg.[4] 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 Gren's skills and how he outshone some of the big boys in the national league. The then, 13-year-old Gren played for Bollklubben Strix.[4] During his youth, he played for Lindholmens BK and GAIK before playing Gårda BK.

Club career

Gårda BK

In 1937 he started playing for Gårda BK. He made his Allsvenskan debut on 1 May 1938 against Malmö FF which resulted in a scoreless draw. During his time there, he played a total of 54 matches scoring 16 goals.[5]

IFK Göteborg

In 1941, he was recruited by IFK Gothenburg. During his time in the club, Gren won one national championships in the 1941/42 season and was top scorer in 1947. He won the first ever Guldbollen in 1946.[6] His first league match for IFK was in August 1941, IFK played against Gårda BK winning 6–1 with Gren scoring the first goal.[7] His last league game for IFK was on 6 June 1949 versus IFK Norrköping at Gamla Ullevi in which Gothenburg lost 0–1.[8] He had played 164 matches for IFK and scored 78 goals.

AC Milan

On 11 September 1949, he debuted for A.C. Milan against Sampdoria, with Milan winning 1–3. During his time with Milan, he became the 'Gre' part of the famous Gre-No-Li trio with his Swedish teammates Gunnar Nordahl ('No') and Nils Liedholm ('Li').[9] He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore" which is Italian for "the professor".[10] While at A.C. Milan, he won the league title for the 1950/51 season. He made 133 appearances in Serie A and scored 38 goals.[11] Gren also managed AC Milan in 1952 before moving to AC Fiorentina.

Later career

In 1953, Gren moved to AC Fiorentina where he made 55 appearances and scored 5 goals. Then in 1955, Gren moved to Genoa CFC where he made 29 appearances and 2 goals.[11] Tired of Italy, Gren decided to move back to Sweden. In 1956, Gren returned to Gothenburg where he joined Örgryte IS as both player and manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.[12]

International career
Gre-No-Li playing for A.C. Milan, 1950

Gren made his debut for Sweden on 29 August 1940 in the team's 3–2 win over Finland. During the next decade he played 40 matches for the national team, ending in 1949 with 3–1 against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier and 2–2 in a friendly against Hungary. During this era Gren was part of the team that won the gold medal in the 1948 Olympics in London, scoring twice against Yugoslavia in the final on Wembley.[1]

As a professional, Gren was suspended from the Swedish national team. However, as the World Cup of 1958 was to be played on home soil and the Swedish team seemed too weak for the competition, the Swedish Football Association changed this rule, and Gren, having now ended his professional career and playing in the Swedish Division 2, was again eligible. Gren went on to be the oldest player of this World Cup, 37 years old, and played an important role in the silver medal-winning Swedish team. He played five matches during the World Cup and scored one goal, 2–1 against West Germany in the semi-final. He was also named on the 1958 World Cup All-Star Team.

Gren's last cap came on 26 October 1958 against Denmark in a 4–4 draw. At the time, he was 37 years, 360 days old. In all, Gren made 57 appearances for the national team, scoring 32 goals.

Management

Whilst at A.C. Milan, Gren managed the team in 1952. Also, Gren managed both Örgryte IS and GAIS as player manager. After retiring as a player, Gren managed several teams. Gren became the technical director for Juventus for a brief period in 1961. Gren then managed for GAIS,[13] IFK Värnamo, Redbergslids IK, Skogens IF, IK Oddevold and Fässbergs IF.

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.

Career statistics

Club
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other[lower-alpha 2] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Gårda BK 1936–37 Allsvenskan 10 – –
1937–38 Allsvenskan 224 – –
1938–39 Allsvenskan 228 – –
1939–40 Allsvenskan 94 – –
Total 54 16 – –
IFK Göteborg[14] 1940–41 Allsvenskan 00 0 0 – – 0 0
1941–42 Allsvenskan 2210 2 1 – – 24 11
1942–43 Allsvenskan 229 1 0 – – 23 9
1943–44 Allsvenskan 2111 0 0 – – 21 11
1944–45 Allsvenskan 168 2 0 – – 18 8
1945–46 Allsvenskan 1913 3 3 – – 22 16
1946–47 Allsvenskan 2018 1 0 – – 21 18
1947–48 Allsvenskan 228 0 0 – – 22 8
1948–49 Allsvenskan 22 1 0 0 – – 22 1
Total 164 78 9 4 – – 173 82
Milan 1949–50 Serie A 3718
1950–51 Serie A 369 4 0
1951–52 Serie A 317
1952–53 Serie A 294
Total 133 38
Fiorentina 1953–54 Serie A 332
1954–55 Serie A 232
Total 56 4
Genoa 1955–56 Serie A 3223
Örgryte 1956–57 Division 2 Västra Götaland – –
1957–58 Division 2 Västra Götaland – –
1959 Allsvenskan – –
Total 4 0
GAIS 1963 Division 2 Västra Götaland 202 – –
1964 Allsvenskan 20
Oddevold[15] 1976 Division 4 Bohuslän-Dalsland 10 – –
Career totals 466142
  1. Includes Svenska Cupen
  2. Includes Latin Cup

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[16]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden 194031
194110
1942 4 1
1943 4 1
194400
194565
194647
194763
194896
194931
195000
195100
195200
195300
195400
195500
195600
195784
195893
Total5732
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gren goal.
List of international goals scored by Gunnar Gren[16]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
122 September 1940Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Finland5–05–0Friendly [17]
24 October 1942Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Denmark1–02–1Friendly [18]
320 June 1943Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark1–12–3Friendly [19]
41 July 1945Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark4–34–3Friendly [20]
526 August 1945Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden Finland2–07–2Friendly [21]
65–2
76–2
821 October 1945Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Norway7–010–0Friendly [22]
923 June 1946Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark1–11–3Friendly [23]
107 July 1946Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Switzerland1–17–2Friendly [24]
113–1
124–2
136–2
1415 September 1946Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway Norway2–03–0Friendly [25]
15 6 October 1946 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Denmark1–0 3–3 Friendly [26]
16 24 August 1947 Ryavallen, Örebro, Sweden  Finland3–0 7–0 Friendly [27]
17 5 October 1947 Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden  Norway1–0 4–1 Friendly [28]
1819 November 1947Highbury, London, England England2–32–4Friendly [29]
1911 July 1948Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Austria2–13–2Friendly [30]
203–2
215 August 1948Selhurst Park, London, England South Korea3–012–01948 Summer Olympics [31]
2213 August 1948Wembley Stadium, London, England Yugoslavia1–03–11948 Summer Olympics [32]
233–1
2414 November 1948Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria Austria1–21–2Friendly [33]
2519 June 1949Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Hungary2–22–2Friendly [34]
2622 September 1957Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Finland1–05–11956–59 Nordic Football Championship [35]
272–0
285–1
2913 October 1957Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Norway5–25–21956–59 Nordic Football Championship [36]
3024 June 1958Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden West Germany2–13–11958 FIFA World Cup [37]
3126 October 1958Råsunda, Stockholm, Sweden Denmark3–24–41956–59 Nordic Football Championship [38]
324–3

Honours
Statue of Gunnar Gren outside of (the now demolished and rebuilt) Gamla Ullevi stadium.
IFK Göteborg[14]
  • Allsvenskan: 1941–42
A.C. Milan[2]
  • Serie A: 1950–51
  • Latin Cup: 1950–51
Sweden[2][1]
  • FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1958
  • Summer Olympics: 1948
  • Nordic Football Championship: 1937–47, 1948–51, 1956–59

Individual

  • Guldbollen: 1946[14]
  • Allsvenskan top scorer: 1946–47[14]
  • Goteborg Football Association Juggling Award: 1934
  • A.C. Milan Hall of Fame[2]


References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gunnar Gren". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. "A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Gunnar Gren". A.C. Milan. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. Mura, Gianni (7 March 1997). "EFFETTO SIMONI 'SONO DI MODA MA NON VECCHIO'". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. "Aftonbladet sport: Guldbollen". aftonbladet.se.
  5. Gunnar Gren. gardabk.se
  6. Guldbollen. svenskfotboll.se
  7. "Sunday 20th of July 1941: Gårda BK - IFK Göteborg 1-6 (1-3) | ifkdb.com".
  8. "Monday 6th of June 1949: IFK Göteborg - IFK Norrköping 0-1 (0-0) | ifkdb.com".
  9. "Homepage – AC Milan". acmilan.com.
  10. Gunnar Gren. IMDb
  11. Gunnar Gren. enciclopediadelcalcio.com
  12. "GAIS – Spelarinformation för Gunnar Gren". GAIS. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010.
  13. "Välkommen till GAIS". gais.se. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009.
  14. "Gunnar Gren - ifkdb.se". ifkdb.se. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  15. Oddevolds spelare 1951–2007. proteamonline.se
  16. "Gunnar Gren - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  17. "Sverige - Finland - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  18. "Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  19. "Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  20. "Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
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  29. "England - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.sehttps (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  30. "Sverige - Österrike - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  31. "Sverige - Korea - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  32. "Sverige - Jugoslavien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  33. "Österrike - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  34. "Sverige - Ungern - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  35. "Sverige - Finland - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  36. "Sverige - Norge - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  37. "Sverige - Tyskland - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  38. "Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
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