Gremio Greatest All-Time Team

Intercontinental Cup 1983

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Santos, Flamengo, Sao Paulo, Corithians, Botafogo
Vasco Da Gama, Palmeiras, Internacional
Fluminense, Gremio, Cruzeiro, Atlético Mineiro, Bahia.

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as Grêmio, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. It 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 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.

Copa Libertadores 1995

Team
GK: Eurico Lara  (Brazil)
Eurico Lara played for Grêmio from 1920 to 1935. He played his last match on 23 September 1935, when his club defeated Internacional 2–0.  Due to cardiac problems, he was substituted during half-time, dying approximately two months later in Porto Alegre. According to legend, he died during that match, after defending a penalty shot by his brother. He is mentioned in Grêmio's anthem.

GK: Danrlei (Brazil)
Danrlei is best remembered for helping Greimo to win the Copa Libertadores in 1995 and Recopa Sul-Americana in 1996.  He left Greimo in 2003, but never found the same successes.  He was capped 7 times for the senior side. He 5 times for the Olympic team, but he was a sub in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, winning a bronze.

GK: Mazarópi (Brazil)
Mazarópi played for Vasco da Gama, Coritiba, Grêmio, Náutico, Figueirense and Guarany de Bagé. With Greimo, he won the Copa Libertadores in 1983 and the Intercontinental Cup that followed.  He also holds the world record for the longest time without conceding a goal, with 1,816 minutes while playing for Vasco da Gama.  He earned a single cap.

RB: Francisco Arce (Paraguay)
Francisco Arce was a part of the great defensive unit of Paraguay in 1998 and 2002.  Arce started his career in Paraguay playing for Cerro Porteño, where he won the national championship on three occasions. He then moved to Brazil where he played for big clubs such as Grêmio and Palmeiras. He won the Copa Libertadores in 1995 with Gremio, but he spent much of his career with Palmeiras.

Francisco Arce

CB: Hugo De Leon (Uruguay) 
With Nacional, he won the Copa Libertadores in 1980. In 1981, he left Nacional to play for Gremio. With Gremio he won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in 1983. After spells in Brazil and Spain he returned to Nacional in 1988, to win the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in that year, and the Copa Interamericana and Recopa Sudamericana in 1989. He was capped 48 times.

CB: Raul Donazar Calvet (Brazil) 
Raul Donazar Calvet was a member of Pele's Santos team in the early 1960's.  He played for them between 1960 and 1964.  He was a part of the team that won two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups. He also played for Gremio from 1956 and 1959.   He was capped twice for Brazil between 1960 and 1962

CB: Airton Pavolhao (Brazil)
In the course of his career (1949–1971), Airton Pavolhao played for Força e Luz, Grêmio, Santos and Cruz Alta Rio Grande do Sul. Airton is a legend with Gremio, where he had two spells. He played for them from 1954 to 1960 in his first spell.  After a season with Santos, he played for them again from 1961 and 1967. He won eleven Campeonato Gaúcho with Grêmio (from 1956 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1967).  He was capped 7 times between 1960 to 1964.

Airton Pavolhao

CB: Atilio Ancheta (Uruguay) 
He started his career with Club Nacional at home, where he won the Copa Libertadores in 1971.  He moved to Greimo in 1971 and was considered a legend there.  For Uruguay, he earned over 20 caps.  He was a member of Uruguay's team that reached the semifinal at the 1970 World Cup Finals.  He was elected one of the best defenders of the Finals.

LB: Roger (Brazil) 
Roger played for Grêmio between 1994 and 2003. He was a part of the team that won Copa Libertadores in 1995. After Grêmio, he played for Kobe Vessel in Japan. Between 2006 and 2008, he played with Fluminense.  In 2007, he scored the winning goal at the Final of the Brazilian Cup, giving him a record 4th title with the Cup.  He was capped once.

LB: Everaldo (Brazil) 
Everaldo earned 24 caps for the Seleção.  He was known for being the starting left back at the World Cup Finals in 1970 in which Brazil won its 4th World Cup.  He was the first ever player from Gaucho to have won a World Cup.  Greimo added a Gold Star on its flag to honour Everaldo's achievements. Everaldo spent his entire career with Greimo and was considered one of its greatest players. He died at the age of 30 in 1976.

Everaldo

DM: Dinho (Brazil)
Dino played for Confiança, Sport Club do Recife and Deportivi La Coruna (Spain) before making it big in Brazil.  With Sao Paulo, he won back-to-back Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 1992 and 1993.  With Gremio, he won a Brazilian Cup, a Copa Libertadores in 1995, the Recopa Sudamericana in 1996, and the Brazilian Championship of that same year.  He was capped once.

DM/CM: Emerson (Brazil)
For nearly a decade, Emerson was a key player for Brazil.  He played over 70 times for them. He was due to captain the 2002 World Cup side, but an injury right before the Finals kept him out of the tournament.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1998 and 2006. At the club level, Emerson played for Gremio, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Juventus, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Santos. He won the Copa Libertadores in 1995 for Gremio.

Emerson

CM: China (Brazil)
China started playing on a club named "July 14" in Passo Fundo and then went to Chapecoense.  With Grêmio, he was part of the team that won the titles of the Campeonato Gaúcho (1980), Brazilian Championship (1981), Copa Libertadores (1983) and Club World Cup (1983). He also played Vasco da Gama , Noroeste, Beira-Mar, Leixões and Passo Fundo. He was capped 5 times.

CM: Gessy Lima (Brazil)
Gessy Lima began his career with Uruguaiana. Grêmio brought him in 1955, and turned him into a midfielder.  He won eleven titles with the club between 1956 and 1962. He also played for Portuguesa. He never gave any interview in his career. At the international level, he played 4 times for Brazil during the 1960 Pan-American Games.

AM/CM: Formiguinha (Brazil)
Milton Kuelle was better known as Formiguinha. He was an one club player for Gremio. He spent his entire career with them. He was known for all round abilities.  He won the Campeonato Gaúcho: 1956 to 1960, 1962 to 1965.  He was capped 6 times for Brazil.  He attended the 1956 Pan-American Games as an unused sub, but played a greater role in 1960, where he scored the winning goal against Argentina.  After retirement, he became a dentist.

Formiguinha

RW/FW: Tarciso (Brazil)
Tarciso is Gremio's all-time appearance leader and the second highest goal scorer.  He won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 1983. With the emerge of Renato Gaúcho, he was sold to Goiás.  Later, he played for Club Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. He was capped twice in 1979, playing against France and Paraguay.

LW/FW: Eder Assis (Brazil)
Eder played for many clubs in his career, most notably with Grêmio and Atlético Mineiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro.  His career was best remembered for playing with Brazil at the World Cup Finals in 1982. He scored a wonderful, winning goal against the Soviet Union, flicking the ball up and volleying it with blistering power into the net from 25 yards. He followed that up with another outstanding goal in the 4–1 win over Scotland. He earned 52 caps.  

AM: Valdo (Brazil)
Valdo made his debut with Grêmio, with which he won four consecutive Rio Grande do Sul Leagues. In 1988, he signed with Benfica of Portugal, alongside compatriot Ricardo Gomes. Both Valdo and Gomes left for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in 1991.  He also played in Japan.  Capped 45 times. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1986, but did not play.  He played in Italia 1990.

AM/LM: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Ronaldinho was a member of tyhe "Three R's" with Rivaldo and Ronaldo that helped Brazil winning the World Cup in 2002.  He had 97 caps. He started his career with Gemio before moving to Europe. He played with Paris St Germaine, Barcelona and AC Milan before returning to Brazil in 2011. He formed the REM line with Etoo and Messi with Barcelona before fighting among them destroyed the team. 

Ronaldinho

FW: Foguinho (Brazil) 
Oswaldo Roll was better known as Foguinho. He was born in 1909 in Porto Alegre. He was a star with Greimo in the 1930's.  He won the Campeonato Gaúcho in 1931 and 1932.  He scored over 100 goals for the club. In his prime, he also played water polo. After retiring from playing, he worked in radios.  He also managed the national team briefly in 1960.

FW: Paulo Nunes (Brazil) 
Paulo Nunes was a product of Flamengo's golden generation that included Djalminha, Marcelinho Carioca and Sávio, but his career there was limited.  In 1995, he moved to Greimo, where he teamed up with Mario Jardel, winning the Copa Libertadores.  He also won the 1999 Copa Libertadores with Palmeiras.  He was capped twice in 1997, debuting at the Tournoi de France against France.

RW/FW: Renato Gaucho (Brazil)
Renato started his career in Esportivo in Bento Gonçalves. With  Grêmio, he won the 1983 Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup, where he scored twice.  With Flamengo, he won the Green Module of Brasileirão Série A. He also played one disappointing season with AS Roma. With Fluminese, he was known for his belly goal against Flamengo in 1995. He was capped 41 times. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990.

Renato Gaucho

ST: Luíz de Carvalho (Brazil)
Luíz de Carvalho was an idol at Greimo, earning the nicknames "the King of the Turn" "El Maestro".  He won 12 titles with the club.  In the mid-1930s, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, playing at Botafogo and Regatas and Vasco da Gama. While at Vasco, he became one of the first player in Brazil to endorse a product for marketing purposes. He also played for the national team.

ST: Mario Jardel (Brazil)
During his prime, Mario Jardel was one of the most prolific strikers in European football.  He scored 266 goals in 274 games.  He won the European Golden Boot for two years. His best years were with Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting CP.  He was a legend for Grêmio, playing a major part in the squad that won the 1995 Copa Libertadores. 

AM/FW: Alcindo (Brazil) 
During his club career, Alcindo played for Rio Grande (1963), Grêmio (1964–1971), Santos (1971–1973), Club Jalisco (1973) and Club América (1974–76) of Mexico, and Francana (1978). He is Grêmio's all-time leading scorer with 636 goals for the club. At the international level, he earned 7 caps and scored 1 goal for Brazil between 1966 and 1967. He was part of the team for the 1966 World Cup in England.  He played in two group matches over there.

Alcindo 

Honorable Mention
Adílson Batista, Mauro Galvão, Ortunho, Ênio Rodrigues, Joãozinho, André Catimba, Tcheco, Paulo Isidoro, Eder, Marcelinho Paraíba, Élton, Luan.

Squad Explanation
-- Gremio won both the 1983 Copa Liberatadores and the Intercontinental Cup.  Only five players from that team was selected.  They are Hugo De Leon, Mazarópi, Tarciso, Renato and China. Renato scored both goals in the Intercontinental Cup Final against Hamsburg SV.
-- The club won their second Copa Libertadores in 1996 . The following players made my all-time team here: Mario Jardel, Francisco Arce, Danrlei, Paulo Nunes, Dinho, Roger and Emerson.
-- Mario Jardel only played a short time here, but he won the Copa Libertadorres scoring nearly 70 goals for the club between 1995 and 1996. His contribution to the club was greater than some of the players I have ignored.
-- Emerson later made a name in Europe with AS Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid.  He was also homegrown.
-- Gremio won their third Copa Libertadores in 2017, but their players are still too young to be considered for an all-time team. Marcelo Grohe is named on my honorable mention.  He might one day make the team.  I put him as my 4th goalkeeper. Luan was the MVP of the tournament. He is too young to be considered for the team. I put him on honorable mention for now.
-- Goalkeeper Eurico Lara's death became an epic legend of the club.  I do believe that he was a good player, but perhaps his death helped to rise his status.  Nevertheless, I selected him regardless of what happened.  His name is simply often mentioned as Gremio's greatest goalkeeper.
-- Leftback Everaldo was known for his role in the 1970 World Cup Finals.  Except for a short spell with Juventude, he played his entire career with Gremio.
--- The last spot was between Paulo Isidoro and Eder.  They were made famous by their participation with the World Cup Finals in 1982.  For Greimo, Paulo Isidoro appeared in several all-time list I discovered on the internet.  Eder was often not mentioned. In the end, I took Eder because I wanted an extra left-sided player. I might also be biased because I watched the 1982 World Cup Finals and Eder was great.
-- Paulo Isidoro lost his position to Ronaldinho and Valdo.  Luan probably might have a chance to take on the offensive midfielder posotion.
-- Ronaldinho also did not play much at the club, but he was probably the greatest ever player produced by their academy.  Most Gremio probably would not complain about his selection. Renato Gaúcho and Emerson were also homegrown.
-- Tarciso is Gremio's all-time appearance leader and the second highest goal scorer.  He won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 1983. 
-- Paulo Numes earned him the Bola de Prata from Placar magazine while playing for Gremio.  
-- Alcindo is Gremio's all-time leading scorer.  He earned his caps while playing for them.

Formation