Italy Grella had a ten-year stint in Italy's
professional leagues after beginning his career in the
NSL. He has been a regular for Australia since 2003, playing in his customary
defensive midfield position, and was involved in both the
2006 World Cup and the
2007 Asian Cup. Grella's friendship with Australian teammate
Mark Bresciano is well known. Grella has described Bresciano as "even more than a brother"; they played together at the AIS, Carlton and Empoli, and were reunited in 2004 when Grella joined Parma, before Bresciano moved on to
Palermo in 2006. Aged 19, Grella made his debut in Serie A with Empoli, in a match against
Juventus at the
Stadio Delle Alpi, where his first job was to mark
Zinedine Zidane. (Empoli held Juventus to a 0–0 draw.) Grella built up his reputation in Italy during his time with Empoli, to overcome initial doubts about his suitability to
Serie A and earn the respect of the Italian media, coaches and fellow players. While at Parma, both Grella and Bresciano were excused from the
2005 Confederations Cup by the then-Australian manager
Frank Farina to allow the pair to take part in a relegation playoff between Parma and
Bologna–which Parma won, to avoid relegation. Grella was named as
captain of
Parma for the
2006–07 season, and played a key role helping the team avoid relegation from Serie A for a second consecutive season. On 20 June 2007, Grella signed a three-year contract with
Torino, one of several new signings made by
The Bull. During his
one season in
Turin, he was a regular member of the side, although his season was interrupted by injury on several occasions. He scored one league goal for Torino, a powerful volley from the edge of the penalty area, which cannoned in off the far post to draw level with
Fiorentina. The goal was a candidate for goal of the month for January in Serie A. It was only the sixth league-goal of his career. From July 2022 he assumes the position of vice president and CEO of the Catania SSD owned by Ross Pelligra Australian of Sicilian origins
Blackburn Rovers On 26 August 2008, Grella joined English then
Premier League outfit
Blackburn Rovers on a four-year deal, for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around
£4 million (with the initial fee later revealed as €4.2 million), having previously been linked to fellow Premiership club
Fulham. He joined fellow Australian
Brett Emerton at the club. He made his first appearance for the club in a 4–1 loss to
West Ham United at
Upton Park, where he played the first 45 minutes, picking up a yellow card and providing an assist with a header for the only Blackburn goal, before being substituted at half-time for
Keith Andrews. A calf injury kept him out of the side for a month following his debut, and he returned to the side in a 1–1 draw with
Middlesbrough at
Ewood Park, playing the full game in the centre of midfield. This was his home debut, and he was later named man-of-the-match for his performance. The following 3 years he spent at the club were a frustrating time for Grella, and Blackburn Rovers fans, with injuries disrupting his stay at Rovers. A succession of knee, groin and calf problems would ultimately rule him out for vast majority of his contract. After the 2010–11 season, Blackburn Rovers revealed their desire to transfer Grella. However, with his history of injuries, no offers were made, and he left Blackburn Rovers upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2011/12 Barclays Premier League season, a season in which he only made 2 appearances. Over the last 2 years of his contract, Grella was only able to make a total of 9 appearances due to injuries.
Melbourne City On 16 October 2012, Grella signed with Australian
A-League club
Melbourne City on a one-year deal. Previously, Grella stated he announced his intention to return to Italy next season, rather go back to his home country. But in the unexpected event, Grella says former national teammate and now manager of Melbourne City,
John Aloisi convinced Grella to play football in Australia. Two months after the move, continuously having injuries, Aloisi revealed he's making a comeback from injury and just returned to training. Vince Grella made his A-League debut for the Melbourne City on Australia Day, 26 January 2013 against the
Western Sydney Wanderers at the Parramatta Stadium as a 68th minute replacement for
Jonatan Germano. He officially announced his retirement two days later due to a torn calf that he picked up in his one match for Melbourne City. In an interview with the Australian
FourFourTwo Magazine, Grella spoke out his retirement and said: ==International career==