Gianfranco Zola

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. In 2003 he was voted the greatest Chelsea player ever. 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.

In Their Own Story

November, 1998. Stamford Bridge is a cauldron of blue under floodlights that hum against the cold. The ball is played wide to the left channel, and there he is — small, lean, eyes already looking past the defender before the ball even reaches his boot. The full-back steps in, heavy, committed. Zola doesn't accelerate. He simply drops his shoulder two inches, taps the ball inside the defender's reach, and is gone. The crowd noise shifts from a roar to a sustained, almost reverent hum. He drifts into the box, the keeper rushes out, and Zola slips a pass so soft it barely leaves the grass, finding the striker's first touch. The goal is clinical. But everyone in the stadium is still looking at the winger, who is already jogging back, hands on hips, as if he has done nothing more remarkable than pass a piece of bread across a kitchen table. The away fans have stopped arguing. The home fans are on their feet. And somewhere in the stands, a boy in a too-big Chelsea shirt is pressing his face to the rail, certain that this is what magic looks like when it has a number on its back.

Reader's Guide

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, ahead of the 2018–19 Premier League season.

Did You Know?

• Zola joined Chelsea from Parma in November 1996 for £4.5 million.
• He scored the winning goal in the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final as a substitute, just 30 seconds after coming on.
• Zola was voted the greatest Chelsea player ever in 2003.
• He was capped 35 times for Italy and played at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996.