Georges Serge Grün (born 25 January 1962) is a retired Belgian football defender, who currently works as a television presenter for the UEFA Champions League matches at RTL TVI.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Georges Serge Grun | ||
| Date of birth | 25 January 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Schaerbeek, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1990 | Anderlecht | 212 | (27) |
| 1990–1994 | Parma | 109 | (9) |
| 1994–1996 | Anderlecht | 46 | (4) |
| 1996–1997 | Reggiana | 22 | (0) |
| Total | 389 | (40) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1995 | Belgium | 77 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editGrün started his career with Anderlecht in Belgium, where he spent eight seasons, winning the UEFA Cup in 1983, as well as three consecutive Belgian First Division titles between 1984 and 1987, among other trophies; he also reached another UEFA Cup final with the club in 1984, where they lost out to English side Tottenham, however.[1][2] Grün joined Italian club Parma in 1990.[1] During his time with the club, he established himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A, winning the Coppa Italia in 1992, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1993 under manager Nevio Scala.[3][4] Following a series of injury struggles during the 1993–94 season, however,[3][5][6][7] he returned to his former club in 1994.[6] In 1996, he returned to Italy once again, to play for Reggiana;[8] however, he was no longer paid by the club between February and May 1997, and retired at the end of the 1996–97 season.[9]
International career
editGrün made his international debut in a 2–0 win against Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 1984, on 13 June, marking the occasion with a goal.[10] He is most famous in his home country for scoring the away goal that qualified Belgium at the expense of their neighbours Netherlands in the 1986 World Cup qualifying rounds. Belgium would go on to a very respectable fourth-place finish. He played in three FIFA World Cups for the Belgium national football team (1986, 1990 and 1994). He made his World Cup debut against Mexico on 3 June 1986. Grün is the sixth–most–capped player for Belgium with 77 appearances between 1984 and 1995, also scoring six goals.
Style of play
editUsually a defender,[11] Grün was capable of playing both as a man-marking centre-back, or stopper, and as a sweeper, due to his elegance, as well as his ability carry the ball out from the back and advance into midfield, or play it out on the ground, which enabled him to start attacking plays with his passing after winning back possession. He was even deployed as a defensive midfielder in front of the back-line on occasion.[12][13][14][15]
Honours
editPlayer
edit- Anderlecht[16]
- Belgian First Division: 1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87
- Belgian Cup: 1987-88, 1988-89
- Belgian Supercup: 1985, 1987
- UEFA Cup: 1982–83 (winners), 1983-84 (runners-up)
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1989-90 (runners-up)
- Jules Pappaert Cup: 1983, 1985[17]
- Bruges Matins: 1985, 1988[18]
- Parma[19]
- Coppa Italia: 1991–92
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1992–93 (winners), 1993-94 (runners-up)[20]
- European Super Cup: 1993
International
editBelgium
Individual
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "IL BELGA GRUN E' DEL PARMA IL LECCE SU POPESCU". La Repubblica (in Italian). 25 July 1990. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Gandolfi, Remo (13 June 2019). "Hoddle, le due facce di un genio" (in Italian). calciomercato.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b Perrone, Roberto (1 December 1993). "qui Parma, il potere non ci logora". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 42. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ MOCCIARO, GAETANO (18 June 2018). "TMWGrun: "A Parma ho lasciato tanti amici. Ritorno in A meritato"" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "IL PARMA PERDE GRUN, E' MENISCO". La Repubblica (in Italian). 2 November 1993. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b "GRUN LASCIA PARMA PER L' ANDERLECHT". La Repubblica (in Italian). 27 April 1994. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ SANNUCCI, CORRADO (13 April 1994). "PARMA CERCA L' AFFETTO". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "INTER - LAZIO CON WINTER E OKON PARMA A TRE PUNTE CON LA REGGIANA". La Repubblica (in Italian). 21 September 1996. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "Caos alla Reggiana "Lo stipendio dov' e' ?"". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 11 May 1997. p. 43. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "Belgium vs Yugoslavia". eu-football.info. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Schianchi, Andrea (29 December 2003). "Così prese Taffarel per vendere il latte" [And so he acquired Taffarel to sell milk]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ EGIDIO, GIOVANNI (14 February 1995). "GRUN O BROLIN SE LA CLASSE E' PENALIZZATA". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Camedda, Paolo (27 June 2013). "Generazione di Fenomeni - Tin Jedvaj, il 'Maldini croato' fra Serie A e Premier League" (in Italian). Goal.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "STORIA CROCIATA – PARMA-SAMPDORIA DEL 1991: LA 'FESTA DELLA SQUALIFICAZIONE' PORTÒ ALLA VITTORIA" (in Italian). Parma Calcio 1913. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "Alfabeto gialloblù". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "RSC Anderlecht | History".
- ^ "Jules Pappaert Cup".
- ^ "Winnaars Brugse Metten".
- ^ "Parma | Palmares".
- ^ "Copenhagen 1994".
- ^ "FIFA 1986 World Cup". Archived from the original on 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Ballon d'Or 1993".
- ^ "La Dernière Heure | Het Beste Elftal Aller Tijden".
- ^ "IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team". www.iffhs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
External links
edit- Georges Grün at WorldFootball.net
- Georges Grün at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
- Georges Grün at the Royal Belgian Football Association
