Vince Grella
Australian soccer player / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Vincenzo Grella (born 5 October 1979) is an Australian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Dandenong to Italian immigrants, Antonio and Maria, Grella began his senior career in Australia before moving to Italy, where he spent over ten years, playing for Empoli, Ternana, Parma and Torino. He moved to Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League in 2008 where he spent four seasons, before returning to Australia in 2012 to play for Melbourne Heart.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Vincenzo Grella[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1979-10-05) 5 October 1979 (age 44) | ||
Place of birth | Dandenong, Victoria, Australia | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Catania (vice-president & CEO) | ||
Youth career | |||
Springvale City | |||
1996–1997 | AIS | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1995–1996 | Springvale City | 16 | (0) |
1996–1997 | Canberra Cosmos | 14 | (1) |
1997–1998 | Carlton | 23 | (1) |
1998–2004 | Empoli | 60 | (1) |
1999–2001 | → Ternana (loan) | 27 | (0) |
2004–2007 | Parma | 92 | (2) |
2007–2008 | Torino | 28 | (1) |
2008–2012 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | (0) |
2012–2013 | Melbourne Heart | 1 | (0) |
Total | 299 | (6) | |
International career | |||
1996–1999 | Australia U-20 | 11 | (0) |
1996–2000 | Australia U-23 | 17 | (0) |
2003–2010 | Australia | 46 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
He retired from professional football in January 2013, after a long-standing struggle with injuries. Grella represented the Australian national team on 46 occasions, and played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him as a possessing the "ability to mop up loose balls and halt opposition counter-attacks."[3]