Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense

Grêmio

Full name	Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Nickname(s)	Imortal Tricolor (Immortal Tricolor) Rei de Copas (King of Cups)
Short name	GRE
Founded	15 September 1903 (1903-09-15)
Ground	Arena do Grêmio Porto Alegre, Brazil
Ground Capacity	55,225[1]
President	Romildo Bolzan Jr.
Manager	Renato Portaluppi
League	Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Campeonato Gaúcho
2017	Série A, 4th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

, grêmio o melhor time

Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɡɾẽmju ˌfutʃˈbɔw ˌpoɾtw ɐlɛˈɡɾẽsi]), commonly known as Grêmio, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. It plays in the Campeonato Gaúcho, the state of Rio Grande do Sul's premier state league, as well as the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system. Grêmio is one of the biggest teams in Brazil, more traditional in South America and one of the richest teams in South American football. It is currently considered by the Brazilian football association as the main club of current Brazilian football, being the first place in the CBF ranking.

Grêmio was founded by English and German immigrants on 15 September 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa Libertadores de América, two Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, one Campeonato Brasileiro Série B and five Copa do Brasil.^[2] Grêmio plays in a tricolor (blue, black and white) striped shirt, black shorts and white socks, as first kit. Grêmio has a rivalry with Internacional, also a club from Porto Alegre, and the two sides contest the Grenal derby, considered by many fans and commentators alike in Brazil to be the fiercest in-city football rivalry in the country.

History

The beginning

On September 7, 1903 Brazil's first football team, Rio Grande, played an exhibition match in Porto Alegre. An entrepreneur from Sorocaba, São Paulo named Cândido Dias was besotted with the sport and went to the ground to watch the match. During the match, the ball deflated. As the only owner of a football in Porto Alegre, he lent his ball to the players, and the match resumed. After the match, he talked to the players about how to found a football club. On September 15, 1903, 32 people, including Cândido Dias, met at Salão Grau restaurant in the city and founded Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense. Most of the founding members were part of the city's German community.^[3] Carlos Luiz Bohrer was elected as first president.^[4]

The new club's first match took place on March 6, 1904, against Fuss Ball Porto Alegre, the first of two matches played that day. Grêmio won the first match 1–0. Unfortunately, newspaper reports of the time do not record the name of the player who scored the first goal in the club's history. The trophy Grêmio won that day, the Wanderpreis, still exists and is displayed at the club's museum. Five months later, Grêmio opened its first stadium, named Baixada.

In the early years of Grêmio's history, football was not a very popular game in Brazil and few teams existed. On July 18, 1909, Grêmio beat Internacional 10–0 on the latter's debut. Grêmio's goalkeeper Kallfelz reportedly left the field and went to talk with fans during the match. Even now this victory is remembered with pride by the Gremistas (Grêmio supporters). The match was the starting point for a strong rivalry which lives on to this day. Gre–Nal is the name given to this city derby.

Grêmio was one of the founding members of Porto Alegre's football league in 1910, and in 1911 won the city league for the first time. On August 25, 1912, in a city league match, Grêmio beat Sport Clube Nacional of Porto Alegre 23–0. Sisson scored 14 goals in the match in Grêmio's biggest ever win.

In 1918, Grêmio was one of the founders of Fundação Rio-Grandense de Desportes (later known as Federação Gaúcha de Futebol), a club federation which organized the first state championships of Rio Grande do Sul. The first championship was scheduled for 1918, but the Spanish flu epidemic forced the whole event to be postponed until 1919. In 1921, a year after the arrival of legendary goalkeeper Eurico Lara, Grêmio won its first state championship.

Grêmio enjoyed many pioneering moments in the 20th century. On July 7, 1911 Grêmio beat Uruguay's national team 2–1. In 1931, Grêmio became one of the first teams in Brazil to play matches at night after installing floodlights at its Estádio Baixada. On May 19, 1935, Grêmio became the first team from Rio Grande do Sul to beat a team from the state of São Paulo (considered the strongest Brazilian league at the time) when it defeated Santos 3–2. Grêmio was also the first club outside Rio de Janeiro state to play at the Maracanã Stadium, defeating Flamengo 3–1 in 1950.

During this period, Grêmio started to earn a reputation abroad. In 1932 it played its first international match in Rivera (Uruguay). In 1949, the match against Uruguay's Nacional ended in a 3–1 win for Grêmio and the players received a hero's welcome on their return to Porto Alegre. In that same year, Grêmio played for the first time in Central America. During the years 1953–1954, Grêmio travelled to Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia, an achievement dubbed "the conquest of the Americas". On February 25, 1959, Grêmio defeated Boca Juniors 4–1 in Buenos Aires, becoming the first foreign team to beat Boca at La Bombonera Stadium. And in 1961, Grêmio went for its first (and very successful) European jaunt, playing 24 games in 11 countries: France, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Denmark, Estonia and Russia.

Professionalism at the club

The Gremistas (Grêmio fans) were growing in number. 1946 saw the first appearance of the famous statement "com o Grêmio onde o Grêmio estiver" ("with Grêmio wherever Grêmio may be"), which was later incorporated at Grêmio's official anthem. This phrase was created by Lupicinio Rodrigues, one of the most famous and revered Grêmio fans. It celebrates the Gremistas reputation for attending all Grêmio matches, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles, making long trips to follow their team wherever they played.

In the late 1950s, Grêmio joined the Taça Brasil, as the Brazilian league was known at the time. The team reached the Taça Brasil semifinals in 1959, 1963 and 1967. In 1968, the team won its first international title in a friendly cup with teams from Brazil and Uruguay. In 1954, Grêmio first played at what was the biggest private stadium in Brazil at the time, the Olímpico Stadium.

In 1971, the Taça Brasil championship was replaced by the Campeonato Brasileiro, which is the top football showcase in Brazil today. The first goal ever scored in the Campeonato Brasileiro was by Grêmio player Néstor Scotta, an Argentine, in a match against São Paulo at Estádio do Morumbi.^[5] Grêmio maintained a series of respectable results in Campeonato Brasileiro, usually staying at the top half of the league table.

Valdir Espinosa and the Intercontinental Cup 1983

The greatest period in Grêmio's history came in the 1980s, coinciding with the completion in July 1980 of their new stadium, the Olímpico Monumental. On May 3, 1981, Grêmio won its first Campeonato Brasileiro after defeating São Paulo in the final at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. The scores in the two-leg final were 2–1 at Olímpico and 1–0 for Grêmio at Morumbi. The winning goal was scored by striker Baltazar. Earlier, on April 26, 1981 Olímpico had its biggest attendance ever, when 98,421 fans watched Grêmio lose to Ponte Preta 0–1 in the Campeonato Brasileiro semi-final. This record will never be beaten, as the Olímpico Monumental was later rebuilt and now holds no more than 50,000 people.

1983 was the most successful year in Grêmio's history. First, Grêmio won the South-American Copa Libertadores, after a consistent yet eventful campaign. One of the matches of the triangular semi-final, the 3–3 draw against Estudiantes at Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, became legendary for its belligerence on and off the pitch, and is dubbed the "Batalha de La Plata" ("Battle of La Plata"), in reference to the hometown of Estudiantes. In the finals, Grêmio beat the 1982 South America and World champions Peñarol from Uruguay, with a 1–1 draw in Montevideo and a 2–1 win in Porto Alegre. The winning goal was scored by César just before the end of the match. A year later, Grêmio was runner-up in the Copa Libertadores final, being defeated by Argentina's Independiente.

Also in 1983, Grêmio won the Intercontinental Cup after defeating Hamburger SV of Germany 2–1.^[6] Renato Portaluppi scored both goals, and Uruguayan defender De León and goalkeeper Mazaropi were also regarded as heroes of this victory. In Porto Alegre, Grêmio's fans began the chant: "The Earth is Blue". Another chant created by Grêmio's fans when the club won the World Club title was "Nada Pode Ser Maior" ("Nothing Can Be Greater"). Soon after winning the Intercontinental Cup, Grêmio beat America of Mexico in Los Angeles, and won the Los Angeles Cup.

In 1989, Grêmio won the first Copa do Brasil, a Brazilian knockout cup featuring football teams from all around the country. After humiliating Flamengo – the best supported football team in Brazil – with a 6–1 win in the second leg of the semi-finals, Grêmio defeated Sport Recife in the final, with a 0–0 draw in Recife and a 2–1 win in Porto Alegre.

In 1991, after a poor season, Grêmio was relegated for the first time to the Brazilian Second Division of Campeonato Brasileiro,^[7] but gained immediate promotion back to the Campeonato Brasileiro's elite in the following season (1993). After this return to top form, 1994 saw Grêmio win its second Copa do Brasil, defeating Ceará in the two-leg final (0–0 and 1–0), the solitary goal scored by striker Nildo. The club then started its Tokyo Project.

Luiz Felipe Scolari and the Libertadores 1995

In May 1995, under head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Grêmio was runner-up in the Copa do Brasil, losing the final match to Corinthians 0–1 at Olímpico Monumental. In August, a few days after beating arch-rivals Internacional for the state title with a reserve squad, the club won the Copa Libertadores for the second time. In the finals, Grêmio defeated Atlético Nacional of Colombia, by winning 3–1 in Porto Alegre and drawing 1–1 in Medellín. The tournament was marked by the matches against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Palmeiras had perhaps the best squad on the competition, with players such as Rivaldo, Cafu, Edmundo, César Sampaio, Antônio Carlos, Roberto Carlos and Mancuso, but was beaten by Grêmio on the 1st leg in an epic 5–0 match with a hat-trick from Jardel in the 2nd half. In the 2nd match Palmeiras beat Grêmio in another incredible match by a 5–1 score, which wasn't quite enough for Palmeiras!

In the World Club tournament, Grêmio had a player sent off and was eventually defeated by Ajax of the Netherlands in the penalty shootout. Early 1996 saw Grêmio win the Recopa Sudamericana, beating Argentina's Independiente 4–1.

On December 15, 1996, Grêmio won its second Campeonato Brasileiro, after defeating Portuguesa in the final. Portuguesa won the first match at home 2–0, and therefore Grêmio was forced to win the final match at Porto Alegre for the same score or more. Grêmio got to 2–0, with midfielder Ailton scoring the second goal a few minutes before the final whistle. Grêmio won the title due to their higher finish in the league.

In 1997, Grêmio won its third Copa do Brasil title. In the finals against Romário's Flamengo, Grêmio won on away goals after a 0–0 draw in Porto Alegre and a 2–2 in Rio de Janeiro. Four years later, in 2001, Grêmio won its fourth Copa do Brasil, defeating Corinthians. The first leg of the final, in Porto Alegre, finished with the score of 2–2. The second game in São Paulo ended with a 3–1 Grêmio victory, in a match which is regarded by many as one of the finest in Grêmio's history.

Batalha dos Aflitos and the Libertadores 2007

In 2004, after performing poorly for two consecutive seasons in the Série A, Grêmio finished bottom of the league and was once again relegated to Campeonato Brasileiro's Second Division.^[8] Grêmio's task was much more difficult this time, with only two clubs able to qualify for promotion to the First Division. On November 26, 2005, at Estádio dos Aflitos, Recife, Grêmio had four players sent off and two penalty kicks against them. The first penalty was shot off the post by Bruno Carvalho in the first half when Grêmio still had 11 players on the field; the second was saved by goalkeeper Galatto after Grêmio had been reduced to 7 men. Grêmio beat Náutico by 1–0, with Anderson the scorer. With this victory, Grêmio won the Série B of the Campeonato Brasileiro and were promoted back to the Série A. That crucial match is referred to by fans as "The Battle of the Aflitos" ("A Batalha dos Aflitos", "Aflitos" being the name of Náutico's home field), because all the incidents both on and off the pitch resembled a true battle. The match became so legendary for Grêmio supporters that two movies and a book were made to tell the story.

On April 9, 2006, at Estádio Beira-Rio, Grêmio won the state championship against Internacional, preventing its rival from winning a fifth title in a row. Playing away, Grêmio managed to obtain a 1–1 draw at the last match, enough to secure the title. Grêmio players said after the match that there were more than 50,000 Internacional fans in Beira Rio's Stadium, and they could still hear the noise made by 6,000 Gremistas, which was an extra source of motivation. In 2007, at Estádio Olímpico Monumental, Grêmio won the state championship (Campeonato Gaúcho) once again, against Juventude. In the semi-finals against Caxias, Grêmio suffered a 3–0 defeat in the first match, but managed to score a 4–0 win at Olímpico to qualify to the final.

Also in 2007, Grêmio reached the final of the 2007 Copa Libertadores, after a series of dramatic games against the top clubs in South America. Even after a 3–0 defeat at the away match, Gremistas formed huge lines to buy tickets for the final game in Porto Alegre, with some of the fans queuing for four days or more. In the 2007 Série A, Grêmio came sixth in the league table.

Recent history

In 2008, after the sudden firing of their new head coach Vagner Mancini, the club hired Celso Roth. Within a month they had prematurely dropped out of both the domestic cup (Copa do Brasil) and their state championship (Campeonato Gaúcho). This led to the team going through a state of crisis and, soon after, major renovation. They were expected to be on the bottom half of the Campeonato Brasileiro's table, and maybe even relegated, but managed to finish in second place. For many supporters, even that was considered a failure as in the first half of the championship, the team was considered the best of the country, and more than 10 points ahead of their rivals. But unexpected loses during the final games of the season lost the championship.

In 2009, giving priority to the 2009 Copa Libertadores, the team played most of the state championship matches with the reserve squad. This and some controversial attitudes of coach Celso Roth led to several poor results, notably three losses to their main rival Internacional. In April, after the premature loss of the state championship, Celso Roth was fired.

In 2010 coach Paulo Silas was hired, leading to the conquest of Campeonato Gaúcho. In this year Grêmio also had a fairly good cup run, being defeated only by Santos of Neymar at the semi-finals. In mid-2010 Silas was replaced due to bad results at the Brazilian Championship, leading to the signing of former idol Renato Portaluppi as the club's coach. Grêmio then went on to win major games in the season resulting in the classification to Copa Libertadores in the following year.

In 2011 the club had a poor Libertadores run, followed by similar disappointments at the Regional and National Championships.

2012 marked the last year of the club's former stadium, Olímpico Monumental. The expectations by the fans were high but were not matched by the team's performance. Grêmio did however qualify for the Libertadores the following year.

In 2014, the club once again qualified for the Copa Libertadores de América and signed Enderson Moreira as the new manager.^[9] However, after a successful campaign in the group stage, Grêmio failed in the competition and was eliminated by San Lorenzo in the Round of 16.^[10] A few days before, the club was defeated 6–2 on aggregate by their biggest rival, the Internacional, in the finals of the Campeonato Gaúcho.^[11] With nothing more than a regular campaign at the beginning of the Série A, the president Fábio Koff signed Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new coach of the team, after he was eliminated with the Brazil national team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[12] The club also signed Giuliano, the biggest hiring of the year.^[13] In September 2014, Grêmio was disqualified from competing in the Copa do Brasil due to a case of racism by a small group of supporters against Santos goalkeeper Aranha in the club's first match of the competition.^[14] It was the first time in the history of the Grêmio that the club was eliminated from a competition for a case of racism.

In 2015, former Grêmio player Roger Machado was hired as the new manager. A short lived but initially successful run, Machado's time with Grêmio saw them qualify for the 2016 Copa Libertadores with a finish in the Campeonato Brasileiro in 3rd place. Under Machado, the team also famously beat bitter rivals Internacional in the "Grenal" derby #407 with a score of 5-0 (a day already considered historic by a majority of fans). Nonetheless, towards the end of the year, the team began to show a lack of organization, especially in its defensive scheme. As fans' support dwindled, Roger announced his resignation from the team after a 3-0 loss against Ponte Preta in September of 2016.

In 2016, Renato Portaluppi was once again hired as the new manager. Under his guidance, Grêmio became champions of the Copa do Brasil against Atlético Mineiro in a 4-2 aggregate score, making it the Brazilian club with the most amount of titles in this tournament (5). After this historic feat, fans affectionately nicknamed Grêmio the "Rei de Copas" (King of Cups).

Grêmio currently competes in the Group 8 of the Copa Libertadores, sitting at the group's top position. The group includes Zamora FC from Venezuela, Deportes Iquique from Chile and Guarani FC from Paraguay. With important signings in the past years such as Lucas Barrios, Gaston "La Gata" Fernandez, Miller Bolaños and Walter Kannemann, the team began its 2017 run with high expectations of a successful year from both fans and sports commentators alike.

Symbols

Stars

According to the club the gold star, represents the victory in the World Club Championship; the silver one represents the two South American competition victories; and the bronze one represents the National competitions. There is also a gold star in Grêmio's flag that represents a player - Everaldo, a star from the 1970s who was the first Gaúcho (person from Rio Grande do Sul) to become a world champion with the Brazilian national team.

Flag

The first club flag was unveiled by the club for the first time during the opening ceremony for the Baixada stadium. At that time, it had a horizontal stripe of blue, black and white, with a medallion on the left top corner. The Brazilian Flag was the inspiration for the Tricolor's standard from 1918 to 1944.

Anthem

Grêmio's anthem is one of the most critically well-acclaimed amongst all Brazilian clubs because, other than 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 the 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 / against all obstacles / but it is for sure we will be / with Grêmio wherever Grêmio may be). 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 somewhere 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).

Team kit

Grêmio has as its primary colors blue, black and white, that make their kits unusual among of football, because few clubs in the world often use the junction of these three colors. Their nickname tricolor (tricolour) originated from the use of these colors. However, it is not since its foundation, in 1903, which uses these colors in your kits. The first uniform of Grêmio was inspired by the garments of English club Exeter City. At the time, the original kit included black cap, striped shirt in blue and havana (a variation of brown), white tie, shorts and socks black. Subsequently, the uniform was changed to blue and black, due to the lack of fabric color havana. Soon after, vertical white stripes were included in the kit, creating a pattern that is used to the present day. The definition on the Grêmio colors were included in the statute of the club, not allowing the creation of match kits in colors other than these:

• Home colors – Vertical stripes of light blue and black, with white piping;
• Away colors – White with blue and black detail;
• Alternative colors – Black or blue with white details.

A special feature of the club is the general preference by the supporters for the simple and traditional kits without adding new colors and designs, something that has become common in modern football. Currently, Grêmio usually launch a full collection of kits once a year, usually in the second quarter, including also goalkeeper, training and travel kits. However, his third shirt begins to be sold only in the second half of the year. When qualify for the Copa Libertadores de América, the club also launches home and away kits at the beginning of the year to compete in the continental tournament, changing little from those used at present. Occasionally, the Grêmio also launches commemorative and retro kits to important years in the history of the club, such as 1981 and 1983.

2017 Home

2017 Away

Sponsorship

Category	Product	Enterprise
Master	Banking	Banrisul
Diamond	Sports equipment	Umbro
Diamond	Health	Unimed
Gold	Beer	Brahma
Gold	Sports drink	Gatorade
Silver	Automotive	Volkswagen
Silver	Consultancy	Fusion
Silver	Education	Unificado
Silver	Education	Unilasalle
Silver	Electronics	Harman
Silver	Electronics	TAG Audio
Silver	Fertilizer	Piratini
Silver	Fitness equipment	Kallango Fit
Silver	Health	Dietbox
Silver	Pharmaceutical	Panvel
Silver	Sanitation	3ª Via Industrial
Silver	Telecommunication	NET
Silver	Truckage	Gabardo

It was in the early 1980s, the Grêmio received its first official sponsor, with the Brazilian Olympikus providing sports equipment. The partnership lasted until early 1983, when, on account of the brilliant moment that had been living in your history, the Grêmio has signed a contract with a German Adidas to supply. However, the partnership was short-lived, as in 1985, with the end of the contract with Adidas, has emerged a new supplier, returning to the national level with the Penalty. In 1987, for the first time in its history the Grêmio signed a sponsorship agreement for stamping the belly region, with Coca-Cola. This turn in their campaigns unprecedentedly exchange their traditional red logo for black, because this color belong to the International, its biggest rival, and be vetoed at Grêmio.

Sponsorship of the Penalty and Coca-Cola persisted with the Grêmio for nearly a decade until, in 1995, the soft drink brand left the main sponsor of the shirts, which has been assumed by Brazilian Tintas Renner, until 1997. During 1998, was the time of General Motors assume this position, exposing numerous names of vehicles throughout the partnership. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Penalty leaves the club, with the Italian Kappa providing sports equipment.

In 2001, for payment of debts, the Grêmio closes an agreement with the state government of Rio Grande do Sul, exposing Banrisul banking mark on his shirt. However, after payment, is Banrisul who assumes the payments and becomes the master sponsor of the club. In 2005 the contract with Kappa came to an end, from this time the sports provision for the responsibility of another German in club history, the Puma. Also from this era, Grêmio open more spaces for smaller sponsors, with the first being Tramontina, Unimed, TIM and the return of Coca-Cola. In 2011, once again changing the supplier of sports equipment occurs, this time taking the Brazilian Topper, under the value of €4.8 million per season, which operates in the South American market, with a contract until the end of 2014. Beginning in 2015 season, the British company Umbro supply sports equipment of Grêmio, paying the value of €6 million per year.^[15]

Stadium

Grêmio's original stadium was the Estádio Olímpico Monumental, as it is called today. It was inaugurated on September 19, 1954 as Estádio Olímpico. At the time it was the largest private stadium in Brazil. Estádio Olímpico's first game was between Grêmio and Nacional from Uruguay; Grêmio won by a score of 2–0, with both goals scored by Vítor. In 1980 a second tier was added to the Olímpico, and the stadium was renamed the Olímpico Monumental. The first game at the renamed Olímpico Monumental was played on June 21, 1980, when Grêmio beat Vasco da Gama by a score of 1–0. Estádio Olímpico Monumental has an attendance record of 98,421 people for the game against Ponte Preta on April 26, 1981. Estádio Olímpico Monumental has 40 luxury booths which hold 10 people, and 5 booths which hold 20 people. It also has 140 places in a Tribune of Honor. It has 28 seats reserved for handicapped fans, 22 of which have space for people accompanying them. The Estádio Olímpico Monumental's Parking lot has space for 700 vehicles.

In 2012, Grêmio moved into their new stadium, Arena do Grêmio, a big multi-use stadium in Porto Alegre. Its capacity is 55,662 and is one of the most modern venues in South America.

Training centre

The first location beyond the stadiums used by Grêmio for training was the additional field built next door of Estádio Olímpico Monumental. However, it can not be characterized exactly one training centre. In 2000 we completed the construction of the first training centre of the club, the CT Hélio Dourado, in Eldorado do Sul, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, but, because of its location somewhat away, ended up being designed only for club's Academy.

In 2014 was finished the construction of the new training center of the Grêmio, the CT Luiz Carvalho, located next to the Arena do Grêmio, in Porto Alegre. It is adjacent to the Guaíba River, and has one of the most beautiful views of the city with the stadium and a cable-stayed bridge in the background.

Supporters

Grêmio has around 8 million fans in the country, meaning that, in terms of ranking, the club is the 6th most supporters in the Brazil. Grêmio is one of the clubs with more associates on the world, reaching the milestone of 85,000 people.

Geral do Grêmio

The largest group of Grêmio supporters is Geral do Grêmio, the first and largest Brazilian barra brava,^[16] movement similar to European ultras, but with unique characteristics of Latin America. The group was created during the year 2001 with Grêmio fans watching games from the seats behind the southern goal at Estádio Olímpico Monumental (an area of the stands called "Geral", as in "general", where tickets had lower costs). Over the following years, more people joined the movement, and they decided to collectively call themselves by the name of the area from where they watched the games. A unique and traditional feature of the crowd is running down the stand (a movement called the "avalanche"), pressing against the fence when a goal is scored as a way to also embrace the players in celebration.

Being a barra brava, the Geral do Grêmio has differences with the ultras. On games they bring a band consisting of percussion and blowing instruments, dictating the rhythm of the chants throughout the game, never stopping or sitting. Banners and flags are exhibited in the length of the sector in which they are located inside the stadium, bringing a unique identity to their supporters. Also, wherever possible, they use flare, smoke bombs, fire extinguishers, among other materials to encourage the team on the field. In the Arena do Grêmio, which opened in December 2012, the lower northern stand was built with no chairs, with the Geral crowd and its "avalanche" celebration in mind. Later the avalanche celebration was made impossible by the addition of security metal bars.

Rivalries

As the years went on, Grêmio and another important Brazilian football club, Internacional, started to form a rivalry. Soon the games between these two clubs got their own name, Grenal, and resulted in record attendance. Now the games fill the streets of Porto Alegre with football-crazed fans. The rivalry is now so ingrained that for many gaúchos and portoalegrenses blue is the opposite color of red, much like in video game culture.

In 1935, Eurico Lara, who was Grêmio's goalie, conceded a penalty kick. When the Internacional player was about to kick it, Lara's brother stopped the game and reminded him of his doctor's recommendation that he didn't overexert himself. He didn't listen. Soon the Internacional player took the shot. Lara caught it, but as soon as he did he fell sideways and didn't move. He was substituted after the wondrous save, and Grêmio won the game. But unfortunately he died two months later as a result from the fatigue from that game. Lara has been immortalized in the club anthem.

Honours

International

• Intercontinental Cup: 1

1983

Runner-up: 1995

Continental

• Copa Libertadores de América: 2

1983, 1995

Runner-up: 1984, 2007

• Recopa Sudamericana: 1

1996

National

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2

1981, 1996

Runner-up: 1982, 2008, 2013

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 1

2005

• Copa do Brasil: 5

1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2016

Runner-up: 1991, 1993, 1995

• Supercopa do Brasil: 1

1990

Regional

• Copa Sul: 1

1999

• Campeonato Sul-Brasileiro: 1

1962

State

• Campeonato Gaúcho: 36

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, 2006, 2007, 2010

Runner-up: 1919, 1920, 1925, 1930, 1933, 1935, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015

• Copa FGF: 1

2006

City

• Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre: 26

1911,1913,1912, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A record

Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position
1971	6th	1981	1st	1991	19th	2001	5th	2011	12th
1972	10th	1982	2nd	1992	Didn't qualify[7]	2002	3rd	2012	3rd
1973	5th	1983	14th	1993	11th	2003	20th	2013	2nd
1974	5th	1984	3rd	1994	11th	2004	24th	2014	7th
1975	14th	1985	18th	1995	15th	2005	Didn't qualify[8]	2015	3rd
1976	6th	1986	16th	1996	1st	2006	3rd	2016	9th
1977	13th	1987	5th	1997	14th	2007	6th	2017	2nd
1978	6th	1988	4th	1998	8th	2008	2nd
1979	22nd	1989	11th	1999	18th	2009	8th
1980	6th	1990	3rd	2000	4th	2010	4th

Players

First team squad

As of 10 August 2017 ^[17]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Marcelo Grohe 2 DF Edílson 3 DF Pedro Geromel (vice-captain) 4 DF Walter Kannemann 5 MF Michel (on loan from Novorizontino) 6 DF Leonardo Gomes 7 FW Luan 8 MF Maicon (captain) 9 FW Michael Arroyo 10 MF Douglas 11 FW Everton 12 DF Bruno Cortez 15 DF Rafael Thyere 17 MF Ramiro 18 FW Lucas Barrios 19 FW Beto da Silva 20 GK Leo

No. Position Player 21 FW Fernandinho 22 DF Bressan 23 FW Miller Bolaños 25 MF Jailson 26 DF Marcelo Oliveira (3rd captain) 27 MF Lincoln 28 MF Kaio 29 MF Arthur 30 GK Bruno Grassi 32 FW Pedro Rocha 33 DF Bruno Rodrigo 35 MF Machado 48 GK Paulo Victor 88 DF Léo Moura — DF Gabriel — FW Jael

For recent transfers, see Grêmio F.B.P.A. transfers.

Transition team squad

For more details on the Transition team and Academy squads, see Grêmio F.B.P.A. Academy.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 24 GK Vitor 36 FW Ty Sandows 37 DF Lucas Rex 38 DF Conrado 39 FW Pepê 40 GK Dida 41 MF Balbino 42 DF Denilson 43 MF Patrick 44 FW Jadson

No. Position Player 46 MF Jeferson Negueba 47 DF Raul 48 FW Tilica 49 DF Guilherme Truyts 50 FW Vico 51 DF Zé Augusto 52 MF Jean Pyerre 53 MF Ezequiel Esperon 54 FW Dionathã

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — DF Breno (at Brasil de Pelotas) — DF Fred (at Vitória) — DF Iago (at Figueirense) — DF Wallace Reis (at Vitória) — MF Felipe Tontini (at Ceará) — MF Gastón Fernández (at Estudiantes)

No. Position Player — MF Lima (at Ceará) — MF Moisés (at Chapecoense) — FW Guilherme (at Botafogo) — FW Henrique Almeida (at Coritiba) — FW Lucas Coelho (at ABC) — FW Nicolas Careca (at Figueirense)

Club officials

Managerial history

Date	Manager	Titles
1903–20	Mordiehck and Schuback	1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre
1920–31	Lagarto	1921, 1922 Campeonato Gaúcho 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1931 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre
1931–44	Telêmaco	1931, 1932 Campeonato Gaúcho 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre
1945	Unknown
1946–49	Otto Bumbel	1946, 1949 Campeonato Gaúcho 1946, 1949 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre
1950–53	Unknown
1954	László Székely
1955–61	Oswaldo Rolla	1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 Campeonato Gaúcho 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre
1961–62	Ênio Rodrigues	1962 Campeonato Sul-Brasileiro 1962 Campeonato Gaúcho
1962–63	Sérgio Moacir	1963 Campeonato Gaúcho
1964–65	Carlos Froner	1964, 1965 Campeonato Gaúcho
1966	Luís Engelke	1966 Campeonato Gaúcho
1967	Carlos Froner	1967 Campeonato Gaúcho
1968–69	Sérgio Moacir	1968 Campeonato Gaúcho
1970	Carlos Froner
1971	Otto Glória
1972	Daltro Menezes
1973	Milton Kuelle
1974	Sérgio Moacir
1975	Ênio Andrade
1976	Oswaldo Rolla
1976	Paulo Lumumba
1977–78	Telê Santana	1977 Campeonato Gaúcho
1979	Orlando Fantoni	1979 Campeonato Gaúcho
1980	Paulinho de Almeida	1980 Campeonato Gaúcho
1980	Oberdan Vilain
1981–82	Ênio Andrade	1981 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
1983	Valdir Espinosa	1983 Intercontinental Cup 1983 Copa Libertadores
1984	Carlos Froner
1984	Chiquinho
1985	Rubens Minelli	1985 Campeonato Gaúcho
1986	Valdir Espinosa	1986 Campeonato Gaúcho
1987	Juan Mujica
1987	Luiz Felipe Scolari	1987 Campeonato Gaúcho
1988	Otacílio Gonçalves	1988 Campeonato Gaúcho
1989	Rubens Minelli
1989	Cláudio Duarte	1989 Copa do Brasil 1989 Campeonato Gaúcho
1990	Paulo Sérgio Poletto
1990	Evaristo de Macedo	1990 Supercopa do Brasil 1990 Campeonato Gaúcho
1991	Cláudio Duarte
1991	Dino Sani
1992	Ernesto Guedes
1992	Cláudio Garcia
1993	Sérgio Cosme
1993	Cassiá	1993 Campeonato Gaúcho
1993–96	Luiz Felipe Scolari	1995 Copa Libertadores 1996 Recopa Sudamericana 1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1994 Copa do Brasil 1995, 1996 Campeonato Gaúcho
1997	Evaristo de Macedo	1997 Copa do Brasil
1997	Hélio dos Anjos
1997–98	Sebastião Lazaroni
1998	Edinho
1998–99	Celso Roth	1999 Copa Sul 1999 Campeonato Gaúcho
1999	Cláudio Duarte
2000	Emerson Leão
2000	Antônio Lopes
2000	Celso Roth
2001–03	Tite	2001 Copa do Brasil 2001 Campeonato Gaúcho
2003	Darío Pereyra
2003	Nestor Simionato
2003–04	Adílson Batista
2004	José Luiz Plein
2004	Cuca
2004	Cláudio Duarte
2005	Hugo de León
2005–07	Mano Menezes	2005 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B 2006, 2007 Campeonato Gaúcho
2008	Vágner Mancini
2008–09	Celso Roth
2009	Paulo Autuori
2010	Paulo Silas	2010 Campeonato Gaúcho
2010–11	Renato Portaluppi
2011	Julinho Camargo
2011	Celso Roth
2012	Caio Júnior
2012–13	Vanderlei Luxemburgo
2013	Renato Portaluppi
2014	Enderson Moreira
2014–15	Luiz Felipe Scolari
2015–16	Roger Machado
2016–	Renato Portaluppi	2016 Copa do Brasil

References

Websites

Books

• Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
• Especial Placar – 500 Times do Brasil, São Paulo: Editora Abril: 2003.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense.

Look up Grêmio in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• essay writing service uk
• Grêmio official website. Portal Oficial do Grêmio.
• Twitter profile. Twitter.
• Geral do Grêmio official website. Geral do Grêmio.
• Unofficial media website. Ducker.com.br.
• Coleção Grêmio Gianfranco. The best online collection of Grêmio memorabilia; organized by Gianfranco Spolaore.