Gianfranco Zola
Five foot six inches of genius
| Full name: | Gianfranco Zola |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | July 5, 1966 |
| Clubs played for: | Nuorese, Torres, Napoli, Parma, Chelsea, Cagliari |
| Clubs managed: | West Ham United |
Club Career
Voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player, the little Italian stands alongside Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry as one of the greatest foreigners to grace English football.
A former Napoli team-mate of Diego Maradona, Zola cheered up Stamford Bridge after the death of backer Matthew Harding with a series of impudent, near-impossible goals, leading a glory charge which brought two FA Cups, a League Cup and the Cup-Winners’ Cup to Stamford Bridge.
Ironically Zola left for Cagliari just as Roman Abramovich’s millions arrived; a class act on and off the pitch, he refused to renege on his deal with the Italians despite urgings from the Russian oligarch. Dubbed ‘the wizard’ by Claudio Ranieri, Zola was twice crowned the club's Player of the Year and Chelsea have unofficially retired his number 25 shirt in tribute.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–86 | Nuorese | 31 | 10 |
| 1986–89 | Torres | 88 | 21 |
| 1989–93 | Napoli | 105 | 32 |
| 1993–96 | Parma | 102 | 49 |
| 1996–03 | Chelsea | 229 | 59 |
| 2003–05 | Cagliari | 44 | 21 |
International Career
Zola never made his mark on the international stage, despite winning a host of caps for his country. He often played second fiddle to Roberto Baggio and Giuseppe Signori and was left out of the World Cup 98 squad altogether. Arguably his most satisfying moment for the Italians had come in a qualifier for that tournament when his goal at Wembley sealed a 1-0 win over England.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-97 | Italy | 35 | 10 |
Key Games
Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool (FA Cup 4th round, January 26, 1997)
The magic of the Cup was evident as Chelsea rolled into round five in memorable fashion. Liverpool had stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore. At half-time, no one could have predicted a Chelsea revival but the little Sardinian was influential. Zola scored a memorable equaliser with an exquisite strike from the edge of the area, before setting up Gianluca Vialli for his second, as Chelsea defied the odds with four goals in the second half.
Chelsea 1-0 Stuttgart (European Cup-Winners' Cup final, May 13, 1998)
Not even injury could prevent Zola from stealing the headlines. Having picked up a groin strain that prevented him from starting in Stockholm, he made an immediate impact when he came on as a sub. Less than a minute after leaving the bench, Zola fired a ferocious shot into the top corner of the Stuttgart net as the Blues clinched the Cup-Winners’ Cup for the second time.
Nigeria 1-2 Italy (World Cup finals 2nd round, July 5, 1994)
In a brief appearance which seemed to sum up his luck for his country, Zola was ludicrously sent off within minutes of replacing Signori. It was the only dismissal of Zola's career and meant he would play no further part in the competition. The 10 men triumphed in extra-time thanks to two goals from Roberto Baggio.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Nuorese | Serie C2 | 1986-87 |
| Napoli | Serie A | 1989-90 |
| Parma | UEFA Super Cup | 1993 |
| UEFA Cup | 1995 | |
| Chelsea | FA Cup | 1997, 2000 |
| League Cup | 1998 | |
| European Cup-Winners' Cup | 1998 | |
| European Super Cup | 1998 | |
| FA Charity Shield | 2000 |
Did You Know...?
Teetotaller Zola bought a bar in his Sardinian hometown shortly after rising to fame, allowing his truck driver dad to move from behind the wheel to behind the counter.
So determined was Roman Abramovich to keep Zola at Stamford Bridge after his takeover that he even pondered buying Cagliari outright so he could loan the little magician back to Chelsea.
Zola came to Chelsea after being bombed out of Parma by a manager who insisted on playing him wide right. The blundering boss in question? None other than current Blues gaffer Carlo Ancelotti!
We want your help to grow the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive! Leave your comments about this piece of football history by clicking on the 'Your Memories' tab above. Tell us who or what you'd like to see covered in the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive by emailing archive@mirror.co.uk
(PDF2.5MB)
