Grifo reflects on move up scoring list: "I apologize to Luca Toni."
With his converted penalty in the 2-0 win over SV Werder Bremen, SC Freiburg's Vincenzo Grifo officially passed Luca Toni as the fourth highest Italian goalscorer in Bundesliga history.
After his special moment came, the "Italian from Pforzheim" explained his pre-prepared goal-celebration.
Vincenzo Grifo immediately grabbed the ball when a haul-down by Felix Agu accorded him a chance to take a penalty in the 80th minute of Freiburg's 2-0 victory over SV Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon. The 29-year-old had a special finish planned, along with a very special goal celebration.
After his special moment came, the "Italian from Pforzheim" explained his pre-prepared goal-celebration.
After cooly chipping the ball down the middle, Grifo proceeded to flaunt the "ear screwdriver" move popularized by Italian striker Luca Toni during his ill-fated three-year-stint with FC Bayern München between 2007 and 2010. With 39 league goals, Grifo overtook his longtime hero as the third most prolific Italian marksman in Bundesliga history.
"Of course, it was all for Luca Toni," Grifo remarked afterwards with some reverence, "I apologize to him as he is an outstanding striker, player and person. I have had a lot of contact with him. I feel honored to have taken over his position. I also dedicate the goal to him because I was a big fan of his and watched him a lot with the Squadra Azzurra and Bayern."
Toni netted 38 league goals with Bayern in just 60 league games. It took Grifo 185 fixtures to overtaken Toni's position. For this, Grifo had a ready made explanation; delivered with a smile and some sarcasm.
"It's true that I have more years under my belt in Germany than him," Grifo noted with a wink, "but he was with Bayern, so that gives him an advantage."
Masterful as he is, Grifo still has some way to go if he hopes to move further up the list. FC Augsburg's Daniel Caligiuri has 51 league tallies to his credit. Former Werder and Wolfsburg Diego Ribhas de Cunha (a Brazilian international with an Italian passport) has 57 goals. Bundesliga legend Claudio Pizzaro (technically also Italian though he represented Peru) tops the list with 197 league goals.