Freiburg forward Vincenzo Grifo said Germany and Italy ‘are very similar’ and doesn’t rule out a move to Serie A in the future.
Grifo was part of the Italy squad that qualified with 10 wins in the Euro qualifiers and contributed an assist in the 5-0 win over Liecthenstein in October 2019.
It was his only appearance in the qualifiers, but Grifo has been in and out of Roberto Mancini’s squad since and played six minutes in the 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
“I’m really proud to have been part of this group,” Grifo told Tuttomercatoweb. “I found a great bunch of lads and an excellent technical staff, with whom I lived two and a half years that were stimulating, to say the least.
“I learned and matured a lot next to teammates with great international experience, some even fresh from winning the Champions League.
“On a personal level, the exclusion from the final squad has hurt me. I cannot deny it, but this certainly doesn’t cancel out the joy of having given my contributions and having done my part during this beautiful path.”
Grifo, capped six times by the Azzurri, scored two times in the friendly against Estonia in November 2020.
“Those two goals against Estonia marked an unforgettable day for me and my family,” he continued. “I made my parents cry with happiness, who in these 28 years of life have always supported me and therefore I will not be able to stop thanking them.”
Grifo recently concluded a great season with Freiburg too, as he contributed nine goals and 10 assists in 31 Bundesliga games, to help the club to 10th in the table.
“The season with Freiburg was exciting,” he said. “We didn’t start too well and faced some difficulties in the first three or four games, but we progressively got into gear until we were fighting for the European cups.
“It’s a shame, because at a certain point we targeted the Europa League, but we reached safety and things also went well for me, with nine goals and 10 assists in 33 games.
“On the other hand, if the team does well, I do well too.”
Grifo was asked about Joachim Löw’s Germany squad in Euro 2020 and the 28-year-old said Die Mannschaft are similar to the Italy squad.
“I have the pleasure of measuring myself daily and weekly with opponents and teammates of the highest level, who today are part of the German national team,” he said. “Without coincidence.
“By now, we all know them. Germany has a strong team, with a good mix of experienced and young talents.
“In my opinion, they are very similar to Italy, precisely because of the international profile of their many players.”
But Grifo struggles to predict the outcome of the European Championship this summer.
“It’s not easy to make predictions for competitions like this one, each national team have leading elements that can make the difference,” he said.
“Among the favourites, I would say France, Germany, Spain and Italy, as well as Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix.
“Everything will depend on being able to give continuity to the performances, both physically and mentally.
“I sincerely hope that my Italy will win in the end, I really believe in our lads.”
Grifo was born in Germany and has never played in Italy, but he admitted he might move to Serie A one day.
“As I have often said, you can never say never in football,” he continued. “I have followed Serie A since I was little.
“In the last 10 years, I have not missed a game and who knows in life. Maybe one day.”