Enzo Scifo
Personal information
Full name Vincenzo Daniele Scifo
Date of birth (1966-02-19) 19 February 1966
Place of birth La Louvière, Belgium
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1987 Anderlecht 119 (32)
1987–1988 Internazionale 28 (4)
1988–1989 Bordeaux 24 (7)
1989–1991 Auxerre 67 (25)
1991–1993 Torino 62 (16)
1993–1997 AS Monaco 91 (20)
1997–2000 Anderlecht 75 (14)
2000–2001 Charleroi 12 (3)
Total 478 (121)
International career
1984–1998 Belgium 84 (18)
Managerial career
2001–2002 Charleroi
2004–2006 Tubize
2007–2009 Mouscron
2012–2013 Mons
2015–2016 Belgium U21
2021 Royal Excel Mouscron
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vincenzo "Enzo" Daniele Scifo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛntso ʃˈʃiːfo]; born 19 February 1966)[1] is a retired Belgian football midfielder. He has also managed the Belgium national under-21 football team and several Belgian club sides. He played for clubs in Belgium, France and Italy, where he won several domestic titles. At international level, he was a member of the Belgium national team, for which he appeared in four FIFA World Cups, being one of three Belgian players ever to do so.

Early life

Scifo was born in La Louvière, Wallonia, to Italian parents from Sicily.[2][3][4] He proved himself a highly promising talent in youth football and was nicknamed "Little Pelé" at his local team, where he scored 432 goals in only four seasons as a junior.[3][5] Scifo joined his local club R.A.A. Louviéroise as a seven-year-old in 1973.[3] He transferred to what used to be Belgium's most successful club, R.S.C. Anderlecht, in 1982.[3]

Club career

Scifo made his first team debut with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1983, at the age of 17.[5] After winning three Belgian First Division championships with the club, and helping the team to the 1984 UEF A Cup Final, only to lose out to Tottenham on penalties, Scifo earned a reputation as one of the most promising young stars of his generation,[3] and moved to his ancestral country for Internazionale in 1987 for a fee of 7.5 billion Lire.[6] After an unsuccessful spell in Milan, which saw him manage only four league goals in 28 appearances, he moved to French club Bordeaux in 1988 where he again disappointed, and faced injuries and conflict with senior squad members.[3][7] His career was revived by a successful move to Auxerre in 1989, at the age of 23, under manager Guy Roux, which led to a return to Italy with Torino in 1991;[8] his second spell in Serie A was more successful, as he reached the 1992 UEFA Cup Final in his first season with Torino, and won the Coppa Italia the following season.[5] Scifo then moved to AS Monaco in 1993, where he enjoyed a similar level of success and won the French championship in 1997.[5] He returned to Anderlecht later that year and won his fourth Belgian league title in the 1999–2000 season.[9] He joined Charleroi in 2000, but retired later in the same season, at the age of 36, after being diagnosed with chronic arthritis.[3][10] In total, Scifo scored 121 league goals in 478 official matches.[3]

International career

Scifo made his senior international debut on 6 June 1984 for Belgium, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Hungary.[11] In Belgium's opening group match of UEFA Euro 1984, on 13 June, he attracted much publicity when he helped his team to a 2–0 victory over Yugoslavia; at the age of 18 years and 115 days, he was the youngest player ever to appear in the finals at the time.[5][12] Scifo featured in all three of Belgium's group matches in the tournament, as they placed third in their group and suffered a first round elimination.[13]

He appeared for Belgium in the 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups, playing sixteen games in total;[14] he is one of only 14 players to have participated in four World Cups, and one of only three Belgian players ever to do so.[5] Scifo helped his nation to the semi-finals of the 1986 edition of the tournament in Mexico, playing in all seven of his team's matches and scoring two goals as Belgium finished the tournament in fourth place; he was named the best young player of the tournament for his performances throughout the competition.[4][5] In the 1990 edition of the tournament, held in Italy, Scifo scored a notable goal from long range in Belgium's 3-1 first round victory over Uruguay, on 17 June, held in Verona;[5] the goal was later elected as the tenth greatest FIFA World Cup goal of the Century in a 2002 poll, with 2,935 votes.[15] Belgium were eventually eliminated in the second round against England; four years later, at U.S.A. '94, the Belgian side were once again eliminated in the second round.[5] Scifo retired from international football after Belgium's first round elimination in the 1998 World Cup held in France;[5] in total he gained eighty-four international caps and scored eighteen goals.[16]

Style of play

A highly creative midfielder with an eye for goal, Scifo was a classic number 10 playmaker who usually played as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers; he was also capable of playing as a central midfielder, where he functioned as a deep-lying playmaker, or as a wide midfielder along the right flank. Considered one of Belgium's greatest ever players,[17] his primary traits as a footballer were his excellent vision, tactical intelligence, and technical skills, which allowed him to orchestrate his team's attacking moves from midfield; he was also highly regarded for his balance on the ball, and his ability to dribble with his head up, as well as his accurate shooting and passing ability with his right foot, which enabled him both to score goals or create chances for his teammates. However, despite his talent, he was also criticised by his managers at times for his poor defensive work-rate off the ball, his introverted character, and for being selfish and inefficient at times, in particular in his youth, as he attempted too many individual dribbling runs, rather than looking to provide a simpler pass to an open teammate. Throughout his career, his unique playing style drew comparisons with Gianni Rivera, Giancarlo Antognoni, and his idol Michel Platini.[3][6]

After retirement

Scifo tried his hand at coaching with R. Charleroi S.C., joining them for the 2000–01 season. Indifferent results led to his resignation in June 2002. He later coached Tubize between 2004 and 2006, and later became head trainer of R.E. Mouscron, another Belgian League team, in 2007. On 6 June 2009, Scifo quit Mouscron due to the club's difficult financial situation.[18]

In May 2006, he was part of the historic first European Selection, led by former England manager Terry Venables and Josep Mª Fusté which had its début in Eindhoven in the first EFPA Match.

Scifo returned to club football with Mons between 2012 and 2013. Between 2015 and 2016, he served as the manager of the Belgium U21 national team.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 1983–84 Belgian League 255–81
1984–85 3014–41
1985–86 31552
1986–87 338–51
Total 11932225
Inter Milan[19] 1987–88 Serie A 284100–61445
Girondins Bordeaux 1988–89 Division 1 24761
Auxerre 1989–90 Division 1 331195
1990–91 3414–
Total 672595
Torino[20] 1991–92 Serie A 30950–1124611
1992–93 32762–40429
Total 6216112–1528820
Monaco 1993–94 Division 1 316112
1994–95 112–
1995–96 34720
1996–97 15520
Total 9120152
Anderlecht 1997–98 Belgian League 30451
1998–99 27830
1999–2000 172
Total 741481
Charleroi 2000–01 Belgian League 12310––133
Career total 4771218117

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium[21] 198481
198531
1986123
198740
198840
198950
199092
199163
199261
199354
199460
199532
199640
199740
199851
Total8418
Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Scifo goal.[21]
List of international goals scored by Enzo Scifo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
117 October 1984Heysel Stadium, Brussels Albania2–13–11986 World Cup qualifier
227 March 1985Heysel Stadium, Brussels Greece2–02–01986 World Cup qualifier
38 June 1986Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca Iraq1–02–11986 World Cup
415 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León Soviet Union1–14–31986 World Cup
510 September 1986Heysel Stadium, Brussels Republic of Ireland2–12–2Euro 1988 qualifier
626 May 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels Romania1–02–2Friendly
717 June 1990Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona Uruguay2–03–11990 World Cup
827 February 1991Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels Luxembourg3–03–0Euro 1992 qualifier
911 September 1991Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg Luxembourg1–02–0Euro 1992 qualifier
109 October 1991Sóstói Stadion, Székesfehérvár Hungary2–02–0Friendly
1125 March 1992Parc des Princes, Paris France2–13–3Friendly
12. 13 February 1993Makario Stadium, Nicosia Cyprus1–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
132–0
1422 May 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels Faroe Islands2–03–01994 World Cup qualifier
1513 October 1993Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest Romania1–21–21994 World Cup qualifier
16. 7 June 1995Philip II Arena, Skopje North Macedonia2–05–0Euro 1996 qualifier
175–0
186 June 1998King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels Paraguay1–01–0Friendly

Honours

Anderlecht[3]

Monaco[3]

Torino[3]

Belgium

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "World Cup History > Best Players of All Times > Belgium > Enzo Scifo". us.terra.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Emanuela Audisio (23 April 1987). repubblica.it (ed.). "Italiano per forza". Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Scifo, a Red Devil with divine gifts". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Enzo SCIFO". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Planet World Cup – Legends – Enzo Scifo". Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 EMANUELA AUDISIO (23 April 1987). "ITALIANO PER FORZA". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "EXKLUSIV Interview mit Enzo Scifo" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  8. ↑ MyDict Team. "Enzo – hat folgende Bedeutung". Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "International Football Betting Tips – Bet £10 Get £30 with Betfair". Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "WM-Rekordspieler, Platz 19: Enzo Scifo: Der "rote Teufel" tanzte viermal auf der WM-Bühne". Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "SCIFO, Vincenzo (Enzo)". Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (in Italian). 2002. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "Scifo helps Belgium to overcome Yugoslavia". UEFA. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Teenager Willems breaks Scifo's record". UEFA. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. ↑ World Football Legends | Players | Enzo Scifo Archived 25 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ "Diego Maradona goal voted the FIFA World Cup Goal of the Century". FIFA. 30 May 2002. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  16. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany (16 August 1999). "Ausland: Fußball-Star Enzo Scifo außer Lebensgefahr". SPIEGEL ONLINE. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "10 Best Belgian Soccer Players of All Time". Soccer Mavericks.
  18. ↑ Enzo Scifo décide de jeter l'éponge Archived 11 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Archivio.inter.it
  20. ↑ Archiviotoro.it Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  21. 1 2 Karel Stokkermans (16 May 2013). "Vincenzo "Enzo" Scifo – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  22. ↑ "Anderlecht wint de Ligabeker".
  23. ↑ "Tijdperk-Vanden Stock: 20 landstitels, 8 bekers en 3 Europabekers". 20 December 2017.
  24. ↑ "Jules Pappaert Cup".
  25. ↑ "Winnaars Brugse Metten". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Rode Duivels Ploeg van het Jaar".
  27. ↑ "FIFA 1986 World Cup". Archived from the original on 5 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "Winnaars Gouden Schoen".
  29. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1984".
  30. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1990".
  31. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1992".
  32. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1993".
  33. ↑ "Planet World Cup - Legends - Enzo Scifo". www.planetworldcup.com. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  34. ↑ "Enzo SCIFO". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  35. 1 2 "BigSoccer - All star teams of 1986 World Cup".
  36. ↑ "France - Footballer of the Year". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  37. ↑ "Profvoetballer van het Jaar". 28 November 2011.
  38. ↑ UEFA.com (15 January 2004). "Aruna voted Belgium's finest | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  39. ↑ "Het beste Gouden Schoen-elftal ooit".
  40. ↑ "RBFA - Discover our 125 Years Icons Team".
  41. ↑ "IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team". www.iffhs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.