Gianfranco Zola

Italian forward who won Serie A with Napoli, the UEFA Cup with Parma, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Chelsea.

Gianfranco Zola (born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, manager, and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He is currently vice-president of the Lega Pro, the Italian Serie C football league.

Quick Facts

Affiliation

Napoli (1989–1992)
Parma (1993–1996)
Cagliari (1996–1997)
Chelsea (1996–2003)

Lore & Background

Zola spent the first decade of his playing career in Italy, most notably with Napoli alongside Diego Maradona and Careca where he won the 1989–90 Serie A title, and at Parma where he won the Italian Super Cup and the 1994–95 UEFA Cup. He later moved to English side Chelsea, where he was voted the Football Writers' Player of the Year in the 1996–97 season. During his time at the club, he won the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, two FA Cups, the League Cup, and the Community Shield.

He was capped 35 times for Italy from his debut in 1991, appearing at the 1994 World Cup, where Italy finished in second place, and Euro 1996. After a stint with Italy under-21s, Zola began his club managerial career with West Ham United of the Premier League in 2008, before being sacked in 2010. He was manager of Watford from July 2012 until he announced his resignation on 16 December 2013. From December 2014 to March 2015 he managed Cagliari in Serie A. He returned to Chelsea as the assistant of new manager Maurizio Sarri on 18 July 2018.

Reader's Guide

Zola signed his first professional contract with Nuorese in 1984. In 1986, he moved to Torres, where he spent three seasons. He signed for Napoli in 1989, making his debut that year, and scored two goals as Napoli won the Serie A title in 1990. He helped Napoli win the Italian Super Cup in 1990. In 1993, Zola left Napoli and joined Parma for ₤13 million. With Parma, he won the UEFA Super Cup in 1993 and the UEFA Cup in 1995. In November 1996, he joined Chelsea for £4.5 million. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers. He helped Chelsea win the FA Cup in 1996–97, and was voted FWA Player of the Year. In 1997–98, he helped Chelsea win the League Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, and the Super Cup. He scored the winning goal in the Cup Winners' Cup final as a substitute. He also won the FA Cup again with Chelsea in 1999–2000.