Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola, OBE (born July 5, 1966 in Oliena, Sardinia) is a former Italian footballer, the Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1997.

Related Topics:
OBE - July 5 - 1966 - Oliena - Sardinia - Italian - Football - Football Writers' Player of the Year

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Zola signed his first professional contract with Sardinian team Nuorese in 1984. Five years later he signed for Napoli in Serie A. Talented Zola scored two goals as understudy to Diego Maradona as Napoli won the Italian title in 1990. He helped Napoli to win the Italian Super Cup in 1991 and he made his debut for the Italian national side under coach Arrigo Sacchi in the same year. In 1993, Zola left Napoli and joined fellow Serie A side Parma. He won the UEFA Cup with Parma and they were runners-up in Serie A and the Italian Cup in 1995. It was with the blue and yellow club that he cemented his reputation as a creative genius with unbelievable talent from dead-ball situations.

Related Topics:
Nuorese - 1984 - Napoli - Serie A - Diego Maradona - 1990 - Italian Super Cup - 1991 - Italian national side - Arrigo Sacchi - 1993 - Parma - UEFA Cup - Italian Cup - 1995

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In 1996, Zola joined Premier League football club Chelsea F.C. He won the FA Cup with Chelsea and was voted the English Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1997: the only player ever to receive the accolade without playing an entire season. He helped Chelsea win the English League Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup in 1998. He helped Chelsea to win FA Cup again in 2000.

Related Topics:
1996 - Premier League - Chelsea F.C. - FA Cup - 1997 - League Cup - Cup Winners' Cup - Super Cup - 1998 - 2000

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Zola's goal after 21 seconds on the pitch in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup against VFB Stuttgart at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm was perhaps his finest moment. Only his second touch of the game, he smashed the through ball from Dennis Wise past 'keeper Wohlfahrt into the roof of the net to secure Chelsea's first European trophy in 28 years and only their second in the club's history.

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Zola scored one of the best free kicks in Premier League history against Tottenham in January 2003 at Stamford Bridge. From a wide position level with the edge of the penalty area and over 25 yards out, he curled the ball high and wide into the top corner at the far post past a hapless Kasey Keller. His back-heel goal versus Norwich in the FA Cup of 2002 was another Zola special. His farewell Chelsea goal came against Everton at Stamford Bridge with an outside-of-the-foot lob from outside the box over Richard Wright.

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Zola left Chelsea and joined Cagliari, a club from his native Sardinia, in 2003. They obtained promotion to the Italian Serie A soon afterwards. Then he renewed his contract for Cagliari Calcio for one more year. He retired in June of 2005, after ending his career in appropriate style with a double against Juventus in his last ever professional game.

Related Topics:
Cagliari - Sardinia - 2003 - Serie A - 2005

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Zola won 35 international caps, scoring 8 goals. He played for his country at the {{Wc|1994}} and {{Ec|96}}. Zola last played in World Cup qualifier against England in Rome in October 1997. His international career is best known to English fans for his goal against England at Wembley.

Related Topics:
World Cup - England - Rome - 1997

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In early 2003, 'franco was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by the Chelsea fans. In November 2004, he was awarded an OBE - Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire in a special ceremony in Rome.

Related Topics:
2003 - Fans - November - 2004 - OBE

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Despite speculation he would play on in the 2005/2006 season, Zola decided to leave the game, just a week before he turned 39.

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A true modern-day football genius, Gianfranco paved the way for many other foreigners to join the English game, while still being highly regarded in Italy. He scored 80 goals for Chelsea including 14 superb free-kicks.

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