Gre-Nal

Gre-Nal is the nickname for matches between the two main forces of southern Brazilian football, Grêmio and Internacional.

The two clubs are based in the same city – Porto Alegre, the capital of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

History

The Gre-Nal is perhaps the fiercest and one of the most mystic football rivalries in South America, leading to extremely high levels of emotion, competition and occasional violence. It has been the canvas of some of the greatest Brazilian players

Players who have graced the game include Falcão, Ronaldinho, Taffarel, Dunga, Emerson, Éder, Everaldo, the legendaries Valdomiro Vaz Franco, Renato Gaúcho, Airton Ferreira da Silva (the popular "Pavilhão") and Osmar Fortes Barcellos, nicknamed as "Tesourinha" and many others like Larry, Gessy, Carlitos and Tarciso, etc. The 21th century has seen Manchester United's Anderson and AC Milan's Alexandre Pato play. But, Pato didn't reach to play a Gre-Nal, because he was dealed to AC Milan and in the day that he should play the game, he was out for an injury.

The game has also seen world-famous coaches such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Abel Braga, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Telê Santana, Rubens Minelli, Valdir Espinoza, Paulo César Carpegiani and Ênio Andrade) manage a game.

State rivalry

The rivalry of Gre-Nal is a phenomenon that goes beyond the football sphere, becoming a cultural reference for the gaúchos. Within the city of Porto Alegre and in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (also in majority of Santa Catarina and the western region of Paraná), everyone “belongs” very strongly to one of the two sides, according to very complex familial, cultural and socio-demographic factors.

For instance, Grêmio was founded in 1903 by German immigrants who banned the entrance of non-German players, while Inter was founded by Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants, and was the first of both clubs to use Blacks and mixed players, and for that is called the "People's Club".

Since the 1950s, the situation has changed, and several black players such as Ronaldinho and Everaldo went on to become idols of Grêmio.

Due to a high level of Inter success in the 1970s, many people who were children and teenagers in the seventies went on to become supporters of Inter, whereas the frequent successes of Grêmio in the 1980s and 1990s inverted the situation.

Records

Grêmio have been Intercontinental Champion as well as winning the Copa Libertadores twice and the Recopa Sudamericana.

Domestically they have won 2 Brazilian championships, 4 Brazilian cups, one Copa Sul and 35 state championships.

Internacional has won one FIFA Club World Cup, one Copa Libertadores and one Recopa Sudamericana (popularly referred to as 'the triple crown').

Domestically, they have won 3 Brazilian championships, one Brazilian cup, and 38 state championships.

Inter's Under-20 team is also remarkably successful: Nike Cup (Under-15 World Championship) champions in 2000, Four-times Brazilian Under-20 champions at São Paulo Cup, in 1974, 1978, 1980 and 1998 and champion of the first Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Championship) Sub-20 in 2006.

As of July 2007, the clubs played against each other an impressive number of 369 matches: 137 victories for Inter, 118 for Grêmio and 114 draws. The biggest win for Grêmio was 10-0 in 1909 (the very first Gre-Nal) and the biggest win of Inter was 7-0 in 1948.

In Beira-Rio Stadium (Internacional) : Grêmio 1-2 Internacional, 78,083, February 12, 1989.

In Olímpico Stadium (Grêmio) : Grêmio 0-0 Internacional, 71,621, February 09, 1989.