Gianfranco Zola
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50%Born
1966 (58 years old)
Birth Place
Oliena, ItalyPosition
Second Striker
Status
Ethnicity
White
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Height
168 cm
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SoccerTeam
_Retired Soccer
2nd Team
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Gianfranco Zola OMRI OBE (Italian pronunciation: ; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He is currently in charge as vice-president of the Lega Pro, the Italian Serie C football league.
He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in Italy, most notably with Napoli, alongside Diego Maradona and Careca, where he was able to win the Serie A title, and at Parma, where he won the Italian Super Cup and the 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 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, two FA Cups, the League Cup, and the Community Shield. Regarded as on one of the all-time best players at Chelsea F.C., in 2003 he was voted Chelsea's greatest 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.
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 Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri on 18 July 2018, ahead of the 2018–19 Premier League season.
Zola made his debut for Italy on 13 November 1991 in Genova, under manager Arrigo Sacchi, at the age of 25, in a Euro 1992 qualifier against Norway, which ended 1–1. He appeared at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, making one substitute appearance in the second round knock-out match against Nigeria in Boston, with Italy trailing 1–0. After only twelve minutes, Zola was controversially sent off, after being judged by the referee to have fouled Augustine Eguavoen, which forced him to miss the two subsequent World Cup matches. Although Italy managed to win the match 2–1 in extra-time and reach the World Cup final, Zola did not regain his place in the side after this suspension. His first two goals came on 25 March 1995, in a 4–1 win, in a Euro 1996 qualifier against Estonia in Salerno.
Zola was called up for Euro 1996, and he played in all three group games at the tournament. He set up Pierluigi Casiraghi's second goal in the team's 2–1 win in the opening group match against Russia, but in the team's final group match, he notably missed a potential match-winning penalty in a 0–0 draw against eventual champions Germany as Italy surprisingly crashed out in the first round; the win would have allowed Italy to progress to the quarter-finals of the tournament. He scored the only goal of the game in an historic 1–0 victory over England in a 1998 World Cup qualifying match at Wembley, on 12 February 1997. He won his final cap for Italy in the return fixture against England in Rome on 11 October 1997, which ended in a draw. He retired from international play after he was not called up for the 1998 World Cup by manager Cesare Maldini, who had selected Del Piero and Roberto Baggio in his role. Zola finished his international career with a total of 35 caps and ten goals.
As a Sardinian he could also be eligible for the Sardinian national football team, who represented the island on several occasions in Non-FIFA football. Indeed, he played in the first ever official documented appearance of the formation in 1990. The England national football team was in Sardinia for a training camp in order to prepare the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where, among other things, it would have played two of the three matches of the group stage in Cagliari. Therefore, it had been set up a XI formed by the best Sardinian players caught between Serie C and Amateurs to face the Lions in their first friendly match. Zola, at that time a player for S.S.C. Napoli, was the only professional player and the most representative one of the squad. The Three Lions won with a 10–1 score. 7 years later he was called for the second match against Corsica. For this match, all professional players were called (Zola was in Parma A.C.) and the Sardinians won 1–0 with a winning goal by Zola.
In his playing career, Zola played 628 games and scored 193 goals in league play. Despite speculation he would play on in the 2005–06 season, Zola decided to leave the game just a week before he turned 39, and took a job as an Italian football pundit. Rumours were circulating within Australia that Zola was being chased by several A-League clubs, including Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory, about a possible comeback, but Zola quashed such rumours. He did, however, play a charity match in Sydney in December 2006, appearing in both Marconi Stallions and APIA colours. Zola also played against Shrewsbury Town in the first match at their New Meadow stadium for "A-line Allstars" on 14 July 2007 as part of a kit sponsorship deal between the club and boot manufacturer A-line, who made Zola's boots.
Zola is married to Franca and has three children; his son Andrea played for Grays Athletic and has played for West Ham United reserves. Former footballer turned criminal Fabrizio Maiello claimed to have targeted Zola as a kidnap target in 1994.
Career Honours
Career Milestones
Former Youth Teams
Former Senior Teams
1987-1989 |
1989-1993 |
1991-1997 |
1993-1996 |
1996-2003 |
2003-2005 |
2005-2006 |
2006-2007 |
Former Club Staff
2008-2010 Manager |
2012-2013 Manager |
2014-2015 Manager |
2015-2016 Manager |
2016-2017 Manager |
2018-2019 Assistant Manager |
Contracts
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| Napoli | Appearances | Italian Serie A | 1991-1992 | 34 |
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| Napoli | Goals | Italian Serie A | 1991-1992 | 12 |
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| Napoli | Appearances | Italian Serie A | 1990-1991 | 20 |
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| Napoli | Goals | Italian Serie A | 1990-1991 | 6 |
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