Grêmio were born thanks to a ball that went flat. The club was founded on 15 September 1903 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and on 15 September 2027 it turns 124 years old. This is the story of its three-colour shirt.

A borrowed ball

On 7 September 1903 Sport Club Rio Grande played an exhibition match in Porto Alegre. At some point the ball went flat, and Cândido Dias da Silva, who had moved to the city from Sorocaba, lent them his own leather ball.

In return he was given advice on how to set up a club. Eight days later, 32 men met at the Salão Grau, a hotel restaurant in the city centre, and founded Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense.

From "havana" to three stripes

The first shirt had stripes of blue and "havana", a brownish shade. It came with a black cap, a white tie, white shorts and black socks.

When the brown fabric ran out, the team switched to blue and black, and in July 1904 a half-blue, half-black shirt appeared. The definitive vertical stripes of blue, black and white arrived in 1928 and have never left since.

That is why Grêmio are the "Tricolor". According to English Wikipedia, the nickname "Imortal Tricolor", the Immortal Tricolour, took hold in the 2007 Copa Libertadores, when the team kept overturning away defeats with big performances at home.

A crest with three stars

The first crest was blue and white. It was later replaced by a ball-shaped shield, which changed several times over the decades.

In the 1980s three stars were added: bronze for the 1981 Brazilian title, silver for the 1983 Libertadores and gold for the Intercontinental Cup of the same year. The club flag also carries a star for Everaldo, the only Grêmio player in Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning squad.

Renato's year

1983 was the brightest year in the club's history. Grêmio beat Peñarol in the Copa Libertadores final, drawing 1-1 in Montevideo and winning 2-1 in Porto Alegre.

Next came the Intercontinental Cup against Hamburg. Renato Portaluppi scored twice, once in normal time and once in extra time, for the 2-1 win that made Grêmio world champions.

The second Libertadores came in 1995 against Atlético Nacional and the third in 2017 against Lanús. At home the team has won the Brazilian league twice, in 1981, with Baltazar scoring in the final against São Paulo, and in 1996.

Grounds and legends

Grêmio played at the Baixada from 1904 to 1954 and then at the Estádio Olímpico, renamed Olímpico Monumental in 1980. Since December 2012 their home has been the Arena do Grêmio, with more than 60,000 seats.

The shirt has been worn by Ronaldinho, Hugo De León, goal-getter Mário Jardel and goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe. In 2023 Luis Suárez arrived, the year the team returned to Série A.

Today Grêmio play in Brazil's top flight, where they finished ninth in 2025. In 2026 they won the state championship, the Campeonato Gaúcho, once again.

Celebrate with us

From a borrowed ball to the top of the world, Grêmio turn 124 in blue, black and white. Happy birthday to the "Tricolor" and all its fans, from Porto Alegre to Greece!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre (2017) – Sedenir07, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.