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Enzo Scifo

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Enzo Scifo
Scifo with Torino in 1991
Personal information
Full name Vincenzo Daniele Scifo
Date of birth (1966-02-19) 19 February 1966 (age 60)
Place of birth La Louvière, Belgium
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position 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)
2000–2004 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 Belgian former professional footballer who played as an attacking 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 played in four FIFA World Cups, being one of four Belgian players ever to do so.

Early life

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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 Belgium's most successful club, R.S.C. Anderlecht, in 1982.[3]

Club career

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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 UEFA 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] At the time, this was the record amount for a football transfer.[7] After an unsuccessful spell in Inter 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][8] 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;[9] 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.[10] He joined Charleroi in 2000, but retired later in the same season, at the age of 36, after being diagnosed with chronic arthritis.[3][11] In total, Scifo scored 121 league goals in 478 official matches.[3]

International career

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Scifo with Belgium c. 1986

Scifo made his senior international debut on 6 June 1984 for Belgium, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Hungary.[12] 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][13]

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.[14]

"“He’s the only European footballer who can genuinely be considered my successor."

— Michel Platini on 18-year old Scifo in 1984 [15]

He appeared for Belgium in the 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups, playing sixteen games in total;[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

Style of play

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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,[19] 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

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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.[20]

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. Scifo was appointed manager of Mouscron in 2021, but was dismissed from his position after a poor start to the season.[21] In 2024, Enzo Scifo was appointed talent manager of RAAL La Louvière, the successor club to Louviéroise where he started as a youth player.[22]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[23]
Club Season League National cup[a] League Cup[b] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 1983–84 Belgian League 25520–8[c]1356
1984–85 301462–4[c]14017
1985–86 31520–5[d]2387
1986–87 33860–5[d]1449
Total 11932162–22515739
Inter Milan[24] 1987–88 Serie A 284100–6[c]1445
Girondins Bordeaux 1988–89 Division 1 24700–6[c]1308
Auxerre 1989–90 Division 1 331120–11[c]54616
1990–91 34143000–3714
Total 672550001158330
Torino[25] 1991–92 Serie A 30950–11[c]24611
1992–93 32762–4[c]0429
Total 6216112–1528820
Monaco 1993–94 Division 1 316200011[e]2448
1994–95 1120021–133
1995–96 34733302[c]04210
1996–97 15510202[c]0205
Total 9120637115211926
Anderlecht 1997–98 Belgian League 30421–7[c]2397
1998–99 27811204[c]0349
1999–2000 17210211[c]0213
Total 741442411229419
Charleroi 2000–01 Belgian League 12310––133
Career total 4771215391128718628150

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium[26] 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.[26]
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 1986Nemesio Diez Stadium, 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

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Anderlecht[3]

Monaco[3]

Torino[3]

Belgium

Individual

References

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  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. ↑ "From Maradona to Cristiano and Neymar: Each Player Challenging the Transfer Record". footboom1.com. 19 November 2024.
  8. ↑ "EXKLUSIV Interview mit Enzo Scifo" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  9. ↑ MyDict Team. "Enzo – hat folgende Bedeutung". Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "International Football Betting Tips – Bet £10 Get £30 with Betfair". Retrieved 14 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "WM-Rekordspieler, Platz 19: Enzo Scifo: Der "rote Teufel" tanzte viermal auf der WM-Bühne". Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "SCIFO, Vincenzo (Enzo)". Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (in Italian). 2002. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Scifo helps Belgium to overcome Yugoslavia". UEFA. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Teenager Willems breaks Scifo's record". UEFA. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "Remembering the misunderstood genius of Enzo Scifo". These Footbal Times. 20 February 2020.
  16. ↑ World Football Legends | Players | Enzo Scifo Archived 25 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany (16 August 1999). "Ausland: Fußball-Star Enzo Scifo außer Lebensgefahr". SPIEGEL ONLINE. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "10 Best Belgian Soccer Players of All Time". Soccer Mavericks. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Enzo Scifo décide de jeter l'éponge" (in French). RTBF. 8 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009.
  21. ↑ "Enzo Scifo et l'Excel Mouscron, c'est terminé" [Enzo Scifo and Excel Mouscron, it's over]. Le Soir (in French). 14 October 2021.
  22. ↑ "Bienvenue Enzo Scifo !". RAAL (in French). 6 August 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Enzo Scifo " Club matches". national-football-teams.net.
  24. ↑ "Archivio.inter.it". Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  25. ↑ Archiviotoro.it Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  26. 1 2 Karel Stokkermans (16 May 2013). "Vincenzo "Enzo" Scifo – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  27. ↑ "Anderlecht wint de Ligabeker".
  28. ↑ "Jules Pappaert Cup".
  29. ↑ "Winnaars Brugse Metten". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "Rode Duivels Ploeg van het Jaar".
  31. ↑ "Tijdperk-Vanden Stock: 20 landstitels, 8 bekers en 3 Europabekers". 20 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "FIFA 1986 World Cup". Archived from the original on 5 June 2016.
  33. ↑ "Winnaars Gouden Schoen".
  34. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1984".
  35. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1990".
  36. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1992". Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  37. ↑ "Ballon d'Or 1993".
  38. ↑ "Planet World Cup - Legends - Enzo Scifo". www.planetworldcup.com. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  39. ↑ "Enzo SCIFO". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  40. 1 2 "BigSoccer - All star teams of 1986 World Cup".
  41. ↑ "France - Footballer of the Year". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  42. ↑ "Profvoetballer van het Jaar". 28 November 2011.
  43. ↑ ""Onze Mondial" Awards". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  44. ↑ UEFA.com (15 January 2004). "Aruna voted Belgium's finest". UEFA. Retrieved 8 November 2020.[dead link]
  45. ↑ "Het beste Gouden Schoen-elftal ooit".
  46. ↑ "RBFA - Discover our 125 Years Icons Team".
  47. ↑ "IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team". www.iffhs.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  48. ↑ "Nieuwe feestavond voor Club: Christos Tzolis na knaljaar verkozen tot Speler van het Seizoen op Pro League Awards". Sporza (in Dutch). 25 May 2026.
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