Enzo Scifo


Vincenzo "Enzo" Daniele Scifo is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a 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.
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Early life

Scifo was born in La Louvière, Wallonia, to Italian parents from Sicily. 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. Scifo joined his local club R.A.A. Louviéroise as a seven-year-old in 1973. He transferred to what used to be Belgium's most successful club, R.S.C. Anderlecht, in 1982.

Club career

Scifo made his first team debut with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1983, at the age of 17. 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, and moved to his ancestral country for Internazionale in 1987 for a fee of 7.5 billion Lire. At the time, this was the record amount for a football transfer. 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. 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; 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. Scifo then moved to AS Monaco in 1993, where he enjoyed a similar level of success and won the French championship in 1997. He returned to Anderlecht later that year and won his fourth Belgian league title in the 1999–2000 season. He joined Charleroi in 2000, but retired later in the same season, at the age of 36, after being diagnosed with chronic arthritis. In total, Scifo scored 121 league goals in 478 official matches.

International career

Scifo made his senior international debut on 6 June 1984 for Belgium, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Hungary. 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. 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.
He appeared for Belgium in the 1986 [FIFA World Cup|1986], 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups, playing sixteen games in total; 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. 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 World Cup awards#FIFA Young Player Award|the best young player of the tournament] for his performances throughout the competition. 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; the goal was later elected as the tenth greatest FIFA World Cup goal of the Century in a 2002 poll, with 2,935 votes. 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. Scifo retired from international football after Belgium's first round elimination in the 1998 World Cup held in France; in total he gained eighty-four international caps and scored eighteen goals.

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, 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.

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.
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. In 2024, Enzo Scifo was appointed talent manager of RAAL La Louvière, the successor club to Louviéroise where he started as a youth player.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
117 October 1984Heysel Stadium, Brussels2–11986 World Cup qualifier
227 March 1985Heysel Stadium, Brussels2–01986 World Cup qualifier
38 June 1986Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca1–01986 World Cup
415 June 1986Estadio Nou Camp, León1–11986 World Cup
510 September 1986Heysel Stadium, Brussels2–1Euro 1988 qualifier
626 May 1990Heysel Stadium, Brussels1–0Friendly
717 June 1990Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona2–01990 World Cup
827 February 1991Constant [Vanden Stock Stadium], Brussels3–01992 qualifying Group 5|Euro 1992 qualifier]
911 September 1991Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg1–0Euro 1992 qualifier
109 October 1991Sóstói Stadion, Székesfehérvár2–0Friendly
1125 March 1992Parc des Princes, Paris2–1Friendly
12.13 February 1993Makario Stadium, Nicosia1–0rowspan="2" 1994 World Cup qualifier
1313 February 1993Makario Stadium, Nicosia2–0-1994 World Cup qualifier
1422 May 1993Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels2–01994 World Cup qualifier
1513 October 1993Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest1–21994 World Cup qualifier
16.7 June 1995Philip II Arena, Skopje2–0rowspan="2" Euro 1996 qualifier
177 June 1995Philip II Arena, Skopje5–0-Euro 1996 qualifier
186 June 1998King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels1–0Friendly

Honours

Anderlecht
Monaco
Torino
Belgium
Individual