Who is Vincenzo Grifo?

Data correct as of 2 October 2023

Vincenzo Grifo

Age: 30
Club: Freiburg
Position: Attacking midfielder/ winger
Country: Italy (nine caps/ four goals)

Key stats

Born in Pforzheim in south-west Germany but with an Italian background, Grifo had to invest plenty of patience and dedication before taking his place in the limelight. A self-declared late bloomer in youth football, his performances for the Karslruhe U19s earned him the chance to train at Hoffenheim's recently opened state-of-the-art academy, in his late teens.

Grifo made his Bundesliga debut with the Sinsheim outfit as a substitute in a 3-3 draw against Greuther Fürth in October 2012, but with first-team playing time limited, he accumulated invaluable playing experience across loan spells at Dynamo Dresden and FSV Frankfurt. Cue a call from Freiburg, whom Grifo duly helped gain promotion to the Bundesliga after producing 14 goals and 15 assists in the second tier in 2015/16. He followed that up by scoring six goals and racking up 11 assists in his maiden top-flight campaign.

That kind of form brought attention from other leading Bundesliga sides - with Borussia Mönchengladbach and former employers Hoffenheim both acquiring his services for a season. Nowhere was he happier or more effective than in Freiburg, though.

After rejoining the Black forest outfit for the third time in 2019,Grifo finished the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Bundesliga seasons as the club's top goalscorer. A strike in a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen in October 2022 saw Grifo become the highest-scoring Italian in Bundesliga history, surpassing ex-Bayern Munich man Luca Toni with his 39th goal. His 15 goals in 2022/23 marked a new personal best.

Grifo's form has seen him called up for Italy - and he scored his first goals for the Azzurri with a brace in a friendly against Estonia in November 2020. The Freiburg playmaker netted twice again and provided an assist as Italy beat Albania 3-1 in a friendly in November 2022, forcefully stating his case for further international action.

Plays a bit like: Hakan Calhanoglu

Just like the former Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg midfielder now of Inter Milan, Grifo makes up for a slight lack of pace and physicality with deadly accuracy, particularly from set pieces. The Italian has made a name for himself as a dead-ball specialist, as evinced by his 18 free-kicks that resulted in goals in 2021/22. He's also clinical from the penalty spot, scoring 21 of 23 attempts in the Bundesliga.

Watch: All Vincenzo Grifo's free-kick goals in the Bundesliga

Did you know?

Grifo probably watches a lot of Calhanoglu. Despite being born in and spending his entire playing career in Germany, he grew up as an Inter fan.

"I was a fan of Inter Milan as a child, it’s true," he told Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Freiburg's UEFA Europa League last-16 tie with Juventus. "I still watch them regularly, but I'm much less of a 'fanatic' nowadays."

What they're saying

"He has extraordinary abilities. You have to be delighted at the stadium when someone has a right foot like that. He's Freiburg through and through by now. A real idol for the fans and the kids." - Freiburg head coach Christian Streich

"Vincenzo is an extraordinary boy. Grifo is a great player and in the Bundesliga, he is scoring many goals. He has important qualities." - Italy coach Roberto Mancini