Johan Gunnar Gren (; 31 October 1920 – 10 November 1991) was a Swedish professional football player and coach. He is best remembered for playing for IFK Göteborg and AC Milan.

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.

A full international between 1940 and 1958, he won 57 caps and scored 32 goals for the Sweden men's 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. 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 Strix. During his youth, he played for Lindholmen and GAIK, before playing for Gårda.

Club career

Gårda In 1937, Gren 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.Gunnar Gren. gardabk.se

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.Guldbollen. svenskfotboll.se His first league match for IFK was in August 1941, when Gothenburg played against Gårda, winning 6–1 with Gren scoring the first goal. His last league game for Gothenburg was on 6 June 1949 versus Norrköping at Gamla Ullevi in which Gothenburg lost 1–0. He had played 164 matches for Gothenburg and scored 78 goals.

AC Milan On 11 September 1949, he debuted for A.C. Milan against Sampdoria, with Milan winning 3–1. 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'). He also earned the nickname the "Il Professore" which is Italian for "the professor".Gunnar Gren. IMDb 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.Gunnar Gren. enciclopediadelcalcio.com Gren also managed Milan in 1952, before moving to Fiorentina.

Later career In 1953, Gren moved to Fiorentina, where he made 55 appearances and scored five goals. Then in 1955, Gren moved to Genoa where he made 29 appearances and two goals. Tired of Italy, Gren decided to move back to Sweden. In 1956, Gren returned to Gothenburg, where he joined Örgryte as both player and manager. Gren left in 1959 and played for GAIS in 1963.

International career

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.

As a professional, Gren was suspended from Sweden men's national team. However, the World Cup of 1958 would be in play on home soil and the Sweden national 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 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 against West Germany in the semi-final.

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.

Managerial career 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 managed GAIS, Värnamo, Redbergslid, Skogen, Oddevold and Fässberg.

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 + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGårda BK1936–37Allsvenskan10––1937–38Allsvenskan224––1938–39Allsvenskan228––1939–40Allsvenskan94––Total5416––IFK Göteborg1940–41Allsvenskan0000––001941–42Allsvenskan221021––24111942–43Allsvenskan22910––2391943–44Allsvenskan211100––21111944–45Allsvenskan16820––1881945–46Allsvenskan191333––22161946–47Allsvenskan201810––21181947–48Allsvenskan22800––2281948–49Allsvenskan22100––221Total1647894––17382AC Milan1949–50Serie A37181950–51Serie A369401951–52Serie A3171952–53Serie A294Total13338Fiorentina1953–54Serie A3321954–55Serie A232Total564Genoa1955–56Serie A3223Örgryte1956–57Division 2 Västra Götaland ––1957–58Division 2 Västra Götaland ––1959Allsvenskan ––Total40GAIS1963Division 2 Västra Götaland202––1964Allsvenskan20OddevoldOddevolds spelare 1951–2007. proteamonline.se1976Division 4 Bohuslän-Dalsland10––Career totals466142

International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSweden194031194110194241194341194400194565194647194763194896194931195000195100195200195300195400195500195600195784195893Total5732

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gren goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Gunnar GrenNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef. 1 22 September 1940 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 5–0 5–0 Friendly 2 4 October 1942 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 1–0 2–1 Friendly 3 20 June 1943 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark 1–1 2–3 Friendly 4 1 July 1945 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark 4–3 4–3 Friendly 5 26 August 1945 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2–0 7–2 Friendly 6 5–2 7 6–2 8 21 October 1945 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 7–0 10–0 Friendly 9 23 June 1946 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark 1–1 1–3 Friendly 10 7 July 1946 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 1–1 7–2 Friendly 11 3–1 12 4–2 13 6–2 14 15 September 1946 Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway 2–0 3–0 Friendly 15 6 October 1946Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 1–03–3Friendly 16 24 August 1947Ryavallen, Örebro, Sweden 3–07–0Friendly 17 5 October 1947Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 1–04–1Friendly 18 19 November 1947 Highbury, London, England 2–3 2–4 Friendly 19 11 July 1948 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 2–1 3–2 Friendly 20 3–2 21 5 August 1948 Selhurst Park, London, England 3–0 12–0 1948 Summer Olympics 22 13 August 1948 Wembley Stadium, London, England 1–0 3–1 1948 Summer Olympics 23 3–1 24 14 November 1948 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria 1–2 1–2 Friendly 25 19 June 1949 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 2–2 2–2 Friendly 26 22 September 1957 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 1–0 5–1 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship 27 2–0 28 5–1 29 13 October 1957 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 5–2 5–2 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship 30 24 June 1958 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2–1 3–1 1958 FIFA World Cup 31 26 October 1958 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden 3–2 4–4 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship 32 4–3

Honours

IFK Göteborg Allsvenskan: 1941–42

A.C. Milan Serie A: 1950–51 Latin Cup: 1950–51

Sweden FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1958 Summer Olympics: 1948 Nordic Football Championship: 1937–47, 1948–51, 1956–59

Individual Guldbollen: 1946 Allsvenskan top scorer: 1946–47 Goteborg Football Association Juggling Award: 1934 Serie A Team of The Year: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1958 Venerdì's 100 Magnifici"The Best of The Best" Retrieved on 17 November 2015 A.C. Milan Hall of Fame

References

External links

Detail of international appearances and goals – by Roberto Mamrud, RSSSF