Lionel Messi, Pele, Frank Lampard, Diego Maradona, Lothar Matthaus, Michele Platini, Dennis Bergkamp, Eusebio, Ruud Guillit and Frank Lampard might be names that are/were most uttered in the football world. Well here's another candidate, overlooked once too often.
Gianfranco Zola was born on 5 July 1966 in Oliena, Sardinia. Having been capped 35 times for his country and been the assistant coach for the Italian U21 side, he even made the jump to manage (ungrateful) English side West Ham United and transformed the unfancied east London club into one which plays exciting attacking football. That is, after all, a philosophy Zola thoroughly believed in as a player.
Zola signed his first professional contract with Sardinian team Nuorese in 1984. In 1986, he moved to Torres from Sassari, and signed for Napoli in Serie A 3 years later. Being the understudy to legendary Argentinian Diego Maradona, that was when the young and talented Zola truely blossomed into a great player. Maradona would prove to be a big influence on Zola's career. The two would spend hours practising and perfecting free kicks together after training. In 1993, Zola left Napoli and joined fellow Serie A side Parma. It was with the blue and yellow club that he cemented his reputation as a creative player. However, then Parma coach, the great Carlo Ancelotti, came to see Zola as a "square peg" unable to fit into his rigid system. Zola was played out of position and ultimately made available for transfer.
Ruud Guillit swiftly snapped the Italian wizard for a mere 4.5 million pounds. This was part of the Dutchman's continental revolution of Chelsea. He mesmerized many fans soon after and was voted Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1997 . This was a special award considering he is the only player ever to win the accolade without playing a full season in the English league and the first Chelsea player to win it. He continued to impress for the Blues, playing a total of 312 games and scoring 80 goals. Zola scored his final goal for Chelsea, a lob from outside the penalty area against Everton, and made his final competitive appearance for the club on the final day of the season with a 20 minute cameo against Liverpool, beating 4 Liverpool players during a fantastic dribble late on in the match, gaining applause from both sets of fans. This would become the final class moment of his Chelsea career.
In early 2003, Zola was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by Chelsea's fans. In November 2004, he was awarded an OBE - Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire in a special ceremony in Rome. In 2005, Zola was voted into the Chelsea FC Centenary Eleven, occupying one of the two forward roles. Whilst the club has not officially withdrawn Zola's number 25 shirt from circulation, no other player has held the squad number since his departure.
In the summer of 2003, amid rumours of an impending takeover at Chelsea, Zola left Stamford Bridge to join Cagliari, the most important club from his native Sardinia. It was reported that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich tried to buy the entire Cagliari club when Zola refused to renege on his verbal contract with Cagliari.
Gianfranco Zola is a class above the rest. Despite his amazing talent, he never got too big for his boots. His humility has continued to impress everyone and is exemplary to aspiring football kids in everyway. Simply, he reminds fans that there do exist players who play for the love of the game rather than the mere fame and fortune they could gain from it.
Be a neutral for once, and enjoy this masterclass display from a masterclass player.
To be wearing the number 25 is an honour by itself. So, the next time you guys rummage the pile of jerseys, and come across the number 25, hold it up high and think of the significance that it has. Reflect on the goals, skills and passes that you saw in the video. Then, after thinking and smilling for sometime, put that jersey down. Coz that's my number! My jersey!!! Don't you dare wear it. Objective of post: Achieved.
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