 Gren during the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strix | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lindholmens | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1937–1940 | Gårda BK | 54 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941–1949 | IFK Göteborg | 168 | (79) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1949–1953 | AC Milan | 133 | (38) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1955 | Fiorentina | 55 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955–1956 | Genoa | 29 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1957 | Örgryte | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | GAIS | 22 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Oddevold | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 466 | (142) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1939–1956 | Sweden B | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1940–1958 | Sweden | 57 | (32) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1952 | A.C. Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1959 | Örgryte | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960 | IFK Göteborg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | GAIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1965–1966 | Värnamo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967 | Redbergslid | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968–1969 | GAIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Skogens | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Fässberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Oddevold | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Johan Gunnar Gren (pronounced[ˈɡɵ̌nːarˈɡreːn]; 31 October 1920 – 10 November 1991)[1] was a Swedish professionalfootball player and coach. He is best remembered for playing forIFK Göteborg andAC Milan.
Acreative forward, known for his technical skill, vision, tactical intelligence, and passing ability as aplaymaker, he was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio offorwards at Milan and theSweden national team. He was also capable of playing as anattacking midfielder, as an offensive–mindedcentral midfielder, known as themezzala role in Italian football jargon, or even as astriker.[2][3]
A full international between 1940 and 1958, he won 57caps and scored 32 goals for the Sweden men's national team. He was a part of the Sweden team that won gold at the1948 Summer Olympics, as well as the team that finished second at the1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1946, he was awardedGuldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year. Gren is considered to be one of Sweden's greatest and most prolific football players;[4] a statue has been erected in his honor outsideGamla Ullevi stadium.
Gren was born on 31 October 1920 to parents Johan Olsson and Gerda Maria Olsson. Gren, a son of a carpenter, grew up inMajorna,Gothenburg.[5] From a young age, Gren excelled in football. On 7 October 1934,Gothenburg Football Association PresidentCarl '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 forStrix.[5] During his youth, he played forLindholmens andGAIK, before playing forGårda.
In 1937, Gren started playing forGårda BK. He made hisAllsvenskan debut on 1 May 1938 againstMalmö FF, which resulted in a scoreless draw. During his time there, he played a total of 54 matches, scoring 16 goals.[6]
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 everGuldbollen in 1946.[7]His first league match for IFK was in August 1941, when Gothenburg played against Gårda, winning 6–1 with Gren scoring the first goal.[8] His last league game for Gothenburg was on 6 June 1949 versusNorrköping atGamla Ullevi in which Gothenburg lost 1–0.[9] He had played 164 matches for Gothenburg and scored 78 goals.
On 11 September 1949, he debuted forA.C. Milan against Sampdoria, with Milan winning 3–1. During his time with Milan, he became the 'Gre' part of the famousGre-No-Li trio with his Swedish teammatesGunnar Nordahl ('No') andNils Liedholm ('Li').[10] He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore" which is Italian for "the professor".[11] 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.[12] Gren also managed Milan in 1952, before moving toFiorentina.
In 1953, Gren moved toFiorentina, where he made 55 appearances and scored five goals. Then in 1955, Gren moved toGenoa where he made 29 appearances and two goals.[12] Tired of Italy, Gren decided to move back to Sweden. In 1956, Gren returned to Gothenburg, where he joinedÖrgryte as both player and manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.[13]
Gren made his debut forSweden on 29 August 1940 in the team's 3–2 win overFinland. During the next decade he played 40 matches for the national team, ending in 1949 with 3–1 againstIreland in aWorld Cup qualifier and 2–2 in a friendly againstHungary. During this era Gren was part of the team that won the gold medal in the1948 Olympics in London, scoring twice againstYugoslavia in the final onWembley.[1]
As a professional, Gren was suspended from the Sweden men's national team. However, theWorld Cup of 1958 would be in play on home soil and the Sweden national team seemed too weak for the competition, theSwedish 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 second 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 againstWest Germany in the semi-final.He was also named on the1958 World Cup All-Star Team.
Gren's last cap came on 26 October 1958 againstDenmark 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.
Whilst at A.C. Milan, Gren managed the team in 1952. Also, Gren managed both Örgryte 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 managedGAIS,[14]Värnamo,Redbergslid,Skogens,Oddevold andFässberg.
Gren retired from football in the 1970s. He died ten days after his 71st birthday, and is buried inVästra Kyrkogården (Western Cemetery),Gothenburg,Västra Götaland, Sweden.
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental | Other[b] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gårda BK | 1936–37 | Allsvenskan | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||||
| 1937–38 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 4 | – | – | |||||||
| 1938–39 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 8 | – | – | |||||||
| 1939–40 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 4 | – | – | |||||||
| Total | 54 | 16 | – | – | ||||||||
| IFK Göteborg[15] | 1940–41 | Allsvenskan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1941–42 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 10 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 24 | 11 | |||
| 1942–43 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 9 | |||
| 1943–44 | Allsvenskan | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 11 | |||
| 1944–45 | Allsvenskan | 16 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 8 | |||
| 1945–46 | Allsvenskan | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 22 | 16 | |||
| 1946–47 | Allsvenskan | 20 | 18 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 18 | |||
| 1947–48 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 8 | |||
| 1948–49 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 164 | 78 | 9 | 4 | – | – | 173 | 82 | ||||
| AC Milan | 1949–50 | Serie A | 37 | 18 | ||||||||
| 1950–51 | Serie A | 36 | 9 | 4 | 0 | |||||||
| 1951–52 | Serie A | 31 | 7 | |||||||||
| 1952–53 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | |||||||||
| Total | 133 | 38 | ||||||||||
| Fiorentina | 1953–54 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1954–55 | Serie A | 23 | 2 | |||||||||
| Total | 56 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Genoa | 1955–56 | Serie A | 32 | 23 | ||||||||
| Örgryte | 1956–57 | Division 2 Västra Götaland | – | – | ||||||||
| 1957–58 | Division 2 Västra Götaland | – | – | |||||||||
| 1959 | Allsvenskan | – | – | |||||||||
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||
| GAIS | 1963 | Division 2 Västra Götaland | 20 | 2 | – | – | ||||||
| 1964 | Allsvenskan | 2 | 0 | |||||||||
| Oddevold[16] | 1976 | Division 4 Bohuslän-Dalsland | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||||
| Career totals | 466 | 142 | ||||||||||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1940 | 3 | 1 |
| 1941 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1942 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1943 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1944 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1945 | 6 | 5 | |
| 1946 | 4 | 7 | |
| 1947 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1948 | 9 | 6 | |
| 1949 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1950 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1951 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1952 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1953 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1954 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1955 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1956 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1957 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1958 | 9 | 3 | |
| Total | 57 | 32 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 September 1940 | Råsunda,Solna, Sweden |  Finland | 5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | [18] |
| 2 | 4 October 1942 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden |  Denmark | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [19] |
| 3 | 20 June 1943 | Parken,Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly | [20] |
| 4 | 1 July 1945 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 4–3 | 4–3 | Friendly | [21] |
| 5 | 26 August 1945 | Ullevi,Gothenburg, Sweden | Finland | 2–0 | 7–2 | Friendly | [22] |
| 6 | 5–2 | ||||||
| 7 | 6–2 | ||||||
| 8 | 21 October 1945 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden |  Norway | 7–0 | 10–0 | Friendly | [23] |
| 9 | 23 June 1946 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly | [24] |
| 10 | 7 July 1946 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden |  Switzerland | 1–1 | 7–2 | Friendly | [25] |
| 11 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 12 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 13 | 6–2 | ||||||
| 14 | 15 September 1946 | Ullevaal,Oslo, Norway | Norway | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [26] |
| 15 | 6 October 1946 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Denmark | 1–0 | 3–3 | Friendly | [27] |
| 16 | 24 August 1947 | Ryavallen,Örebro, Sweden | Finland | 3–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | [28] |
| 17 | 5 October 1947 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Norway | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | [29] |
| 18 | 19 November 1947 | Highbury,London, England |  England | 2–3 | 2–4 | Friendly | [30] |
| 19 | 11 July 1948 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden |  Austria | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly | [31] |
| 20 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 21 | 5 August 1948 | Selhurst Park, London, England |  South Korea | 3–0 | 12–0 | 1948 Summer Olympics | [32] |
| 22 | 13 August 1948 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Yugoslavia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1948 Summer Olympics | [33] |
| 23 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 24 | 14 November 1948 | Praterstadion,Vienna, Austria | Austria | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly | [34] |
| 25 | 19 June 1949 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden |  Hungary | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly | [35] |
| 26 | 22 September 1957 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Finland | 1–0 | 5–1 | 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship | [36] |
| 27 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 28 | 5–1 | ||||||
| 29 | 13 October 1957 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Norway | 5–2 | 5–2 | 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship | [37] |
| 30 | 24 June 1958 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  West Germany | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | [38] |
| 31 | 26 October 1958 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Denmark | 3–2 | 4–4 | 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship | [39] |
| 32 | 4–3 |
Individual
Sweden squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| International | |
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| National | |
