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.

His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him as a possessing the "ability to mop up loose balls and halt opposition counter-attacks.

[4] 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.

)[6] 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.

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.

From July 2022 he assumes the position of vice president and CEO of the Catania SSD owned by Ross Pelligra Australian of Sicilian origins On 26 August 2008, Grella joined English then Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers on a four-year deal,[14] for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around £4m[15] (with the initial fee later revealed as €4.2m),[16] having previously been linked to fellow Premiership club Fulham.

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.

[24] 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.

[27]Grella was a regular member of the Socceroos; he represented the Australian Under-23s at the 2000 Summer Olympics and received his first senior cap when he came on as a second-half substitute in the international friendly against England in 2003, which Australia won 3–1 at West Ham's Upton Park stadium.

At the World Cup, Grella's displays in the heart of Australia's midfield saw him named in a preliminary squad for FIFA's team of the tournament, the only Australian to make this list.