Enzo Scifo

Vincenzo "Enzo" Daniele Scifo (; born 19 February 1966) 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 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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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.

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 Club

International

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Scifo goal. Jules Pappaert Cup: 1983, 1985, 2000 Bruges Matins: 1985 Belgian Sports Team of the Year: 2000 UEFA Cup runner-up: 1983–84

Monaco

Individual Belgian Golden Shoe: 1984 Ballon d'Or nominations: 1984, 1990, 1992, 1993 4 FIFA World Cup participations: 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1986 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990 La Gazzetta dello Sport + Associated Press + Match World Cup All-Star Team: 1990 Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 1990–91 Onze Mondial: 1993 Platina 11 (Best Team in 50 Years Golden Shoe Winners): 2003 The Best Golden Shoe Team Ever: 2011 RBFA 125 Years Icons Team: 2020 IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team: 2021 Pro League Hall of Fame: 2026