Gianfranco Zola
Encyclopedia
Gianfranco Zola, OBE
, Ufficiale OMRI
(dʒanˈfranko ˈdzɔla; born 5 July 1966 in Oliena
, Italy
) is a retired Italian footballer and manager
, who most recently managed West Ham United
from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21
under Pierluigi Casiraghi. He spent the first decade of his career playing in Italy, most notably with Napoli
, alongside Diego Maradona
and Careca, and at Parma
, before moving to English side Chelsea
, where he was voted Football Writers' Player of the Year
in 1997 and Chelsea's greatest ever player. He was capped 35 times for Italy
.
in 1984.
In 1986, he moved to Torres from Sassari
, the oldest club in Sardinia
, where he spent three seasons. In 1989, he signed for Napoli
in Serie A
. The young and talented Zola scored two goals as understudy to Diego Maradona
as Napoli won the Serie A title in 1990. Maradona would prove to be a big influence on Zola's career. The two would spend hours practising free kicks together after training and Zola later said that "I learned everything from Diego. I used to spy on him every time he trained and learned how to curl a free-kick just like him." He helped Napoli to win the Supercoppa Italiana
in 1991 and he made his debut for the Italian national side
under coach Arrigo Sacchi
in the same year, winning his first cap against Norway in November. 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 player. Ironically, coach 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 and moved to Chelsea F.C.
for £4.5 million as one of several continental players signed by Ruud Gullit
and wore the number 25 jersey, he made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park
. In his debut season he put in several notable performances and scored a series of memorable goals. In February 1997, after spiriting the ball around Manchester United
's defence in the penalty area
before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
, he was described by United manager Alex Ferguson
as a "clever little so-and-so." He was a key player in Chelsea's resurgence that season, helping them win the FA Cup
with a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough
at Wembley having scored four goals en route to the final, including a 25 yard curling shot against Liverpool
as Chelsea came from 0–2 behind to win 4–2, and a "twisted blood" effort in the semi-final against Wimbledon
, backheeling the ball and turning 180 degrees before slotting the ball into the net. At the end of the season he was voted FWA Player of the Year
, 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.
In 1997–98, he helped Chelsea win three more trophies, the League Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup and the Super Cup
. An injury denied him a place in the starting line-up for the Cup Winners' Cup final against Stuttgart
at the Råsunda Stadium
in Stockholm
, but he came on as a second-half substitute and scored the winning goal within 21 seconds. With only his second touch of the game, he struck a through ball from Dennis Wise
past Wohlfahrt into the roof of the net to secure Chelsea's third major trophy in a year and the second European trophy in the club's history. In the same season, Zola hit his first professional hat-trick
, in a 4–0 victory over Derby County
at Stamford Bridge in November 1997.
When Chelsea made their first appearance in the Champions League
in 1999–2000, Zola was a key player throughout, although he found his chances in the league more limited, owing to manager Gianluca Vialli
's squad rotation policy. Zola scored three goals in Chelsea's run to the quarter-finals, including a curling free kick against Barcelona
, and again won the FA Cup with the club, with his free-kick in the final against Aston Villa
setting up Roberto Di Matteo
's winner. His later years with Chelsea saw his appearances restricted by the new strike pairing of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
and Eiður Guðjohnsen
, but in Hasselbaink's first season at Stamford Bridge, Zola formed a good partnership with him, scoring 32 league goals between them, (Zola scoring 9 and Hasselbaink hauled 23). It was the 2001–02 season that Zola's starting chances became limited, after a summer when Claudio Ranieri showed to door to many of Chelsea's ageing stars such as club captain Dennis Wise
, goalscoring midfielder Gustavo Poyet
and French defender Frank Leboeuf
, Zola was limited to infrequent starts and many substitute appearances due to Ranieri's new policy of decreasing the average age of the Chelsea squad, preferring to play the gifted Icelandic youngster Gudjohnsen with Hasselbiank, though Zola did score with a backheeled effort in mid-air in an FA Cup tie against Norwich City
, a goal manager Claudio Ranieri
described as "fantasy, magic". In 2002–03, his final season with Chelsea, he enjoyed a renaissance, scoring 16 goals, his highest seasonal tally for Chelsea, and was voted the club's player of the year after helping Chelsea qualify for the Champions League.
Zola scored his final goal for Chelsea, a lob from outside the penalty area against Everton, on Easter Monday 2003, and made his final competitive appearance for the club on the final day of the season with a 20-minute cameo against Liverpool, beating four 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. He played in a total of 312 games for Chelsea and scored 80 goals. 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 F.C. 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.
, the most important club from his native Sardinia
. Within a week Chelsea was acquired by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
. It was reported that Abramovich tried to buy the entire Cagliari club when Zola refused to renege on his verbal contract with Cagliari, although Zola himself will not confirm it. Zola subsequently led Cagliari to promotion to the Italian Serie A
. Then he renewed his contract for Cagliari Calcio for one more year. He retired in June 2005, after ending his career in appropriate style with a double against Juventus in his last ever professional game. His number 10 Cagliari jersey was withdrawn in his honour for the season after he left but was worn in the 2006–07 season by Andrea Capone
.
on 13 November 1991, in a Euro 1992 qualifier against Norway
, which ended 1–1. He appeared at the 1994 World Cup
, making one appearance in the second round against Nigeria
. After only a few minutes, Zola was sent off, after 'fouling' Augustine Eguavoen, which forced him to miss the two subsequent World Cup matches. He did not regain his place in the side after this suspension.
His first two goals came on 25 March 1995, in a 4–1 in a Euro 1996 qualifier against Estonia
. He also played in all three group games at Euro 1996, and missed a penalty
against Germany
as Italy surprisingly crashed out in the first round. He scored the only goal of the game in a World Cup
qualifying match against England
at Wembley in February 1997, and won his final cap for Italy in the return fixture against England in Rome in October 1997. He retired from international play after he was not called up for the 1998 World Cup
, finishing with 35 total caps and ten goals.
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
for A-line Allstars on 14 July 2007 as part of a kit sponsorship deal between Shrewsbury Town and A-line
. It was the first match ever played at the New Meadow
stadium; A-line
make Zola's boots.
manager and Pierluigi Casiraghi by the Italian Football Federation. The duo led the azzurrini to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where they reached the quarter-finals before being defeated 3–2 by Belgium U-21
.
, who resigned following differences with the board.
He was unveiled as manager on 11 September, despite not having the required UEFA A managing licence. Zola, surprisingly for someone closely associated with West Ham's cross-town rivals Chelsea, quickly gained the backing of the fans. Nevertheless, he received applause from Chelsea fans whenever he returned to Stamford Bridge
as West Ham manager. After a shaky start Zola began to develop a side with a flair not seen in a West Ham side for some years. He was also praised for integrating more youth products into the first team. The likes of Junior Stanislas
and Zavon Hines
were given their debuts. The duo and first team youngsters Jack Collison
and James Tomkins
all scored their first goals for the club. In April 2009, Zola signed a contract that could have kept him at Upton Park until 2013. West Ham struggled in the 2009–10 season. Zola's position as manager was put in doubt when he revealed he had not been consulted over a bid for West Bromwich Albion
player Graham Dorrans
and by chairman David Sullivan's announcement that the entire squad was for sale except for midfielder Scott Parker
. West Ham finished in 17th place, only five points above the relegation places.
On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the 2009–10 season, West Ham announced the termination of Zola's contract with immediate effect. Avram Grant was announced as his successor on 3 June 2010, and a week later it was announced that the club had reached a compensation settlement with Zola.
|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Nuorese
||Serie C2
||4||0||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||4||0
|-
|1985–86||Serie D
|||27||10||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||27||10
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="3"|Sassari Torres
||Serie C2
||30||8||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||30||8
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="2"|Serie C1
||24||2||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||24||2
|-
|1988–89||34||11||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||34||11
|-
|1989–90||rowspan="4"|Napoli
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||18||2||6||1||Colspan="2"|––||2||0||18||2
|-
|1990–91||20||6||7||0||Colspan="2"|––||2||0||20||6
|-
|1991–92||34||12||4||1||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||34||12
|-
|1992–93||33||12||6||2||Colspan="2"|––||4||0||33||12
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="4"|Parma
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||33||18||||||Colspan="2"|––||||1||33||18
|-
|1994–95||32||19||||||Colspan="2"|––||||5||32||19
|-
|1995–96||29||10||||||Colspan="2"|––||3||2||32||12
|-
|1996–97||8||2||||||Colspan="2"|––||||||8||2
|-
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="7"|Chelsea
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||23||8||7||4||0||0||Colspan="2"|––||30||12
|-
|1997–98||27||8||1||0||4|||0||8||4||40||12
|-
|1998–99||37||13||6||1||0||0||5||1||48||15
|-
|1999–2000||33||4||5||1||0||0||15||3||53||8
|-
|2000–01||36||9||3||2||1||1||2||0||42||12
|-
|2001–02||35||3||6||1||5||0||4||1||50||5
|-
|2002–03||38||14||3||2||3||0||2||0||46||16
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Cagliari
||Serie B
||43||13||?||0||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||43||13
|-
|2004–05||Serie A
||31||9||?||4||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||31||9
400||134||||||Colspan="2"|––––||3||2||403||136
229||59||24||11||13||1||31||9||297||80
629||193||24||11||13||1||34||11||700||216
|-
|1991||2||0
|-
|1992||1||0
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||6||0
|-
|1995||8||7
|-
|1996||8||0
|-
|1997||9||3
|-
!Total||35||10
|}
Napoli
Parma
Chelsea
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, Ufficiale OMRI
Omri
Omri was a king of Israel, successful military campaigner and first in the line of Omride kings that included Ahab, Ahaziah and Joram.He was "commander of the army" of king Elah when Zimri murdered Elah and made himself king. Instead, the troops at Gibbethon chose Omri as king, and he led them to...
(dʒanˈfranko ˈdzɔla; born 5 July 1966 in Oliena
Oliena
Oliena is a comune in the province of Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy. It is the birthplace of former Chelsea FC and Cagliari player, and former West Ham United manager, Gianfranco Zola....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is a retired Italian footballer and manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, who most recently managed West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21
Italy national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
under Pierluigi Casiraghi. He spent the first decade of his career playing in Italy, most notably with Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, alongside Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
and Careca, and at Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
, before moving to English side Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, where he was voted Football Writers' Player of the Year
Football Writers' Association
The Football Writers' Association is an association of England football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1947....
in 1997 and Chelsea's greatest ever player. He was capped 35 times for Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
.
Italy
Zola signed his first professional contract with Sardinian team NuoreseF.C. Nuorese Calcio
U.S.D. Nuorese Calcio are an Italian association football club from Nuoro, Sardinia, founded in 1930. The club was known as A.S. Nuorese Calcio until 2006, and F.C...
in 1984.
In 1986, he moved to Torres from Sassari
Sassari
Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area...
, the oldest club in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, where he spent three seasons. In 1989, he signed for Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. The young and talented Zola scored two goals as understudy to Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
as Napoli won the Serie A title in 1990. Maradona would prove to be a big influence on Zola's career. The two would spend hours practising free kicks together after training and Zola later said that "I learned everything from Diego. I used to spy on him every time he trained and learned how to curl a free-kick just like him." He helped Napoli to win the Supercoppa Italiana
Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
in 1991 and he made his debut for the Italian national side
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
under coach Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...
in the same year, winning his first cap against Norway in November. In 1993, Zola left Napoli and joined fellow Serie A side Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
. He won the UEFA Cup with Parma and they were runners-up in Serie A and the Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
in 1995. It was with the blue and yellow club that he cemented his reputation as a creative player. Ironically, coach Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
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 and moved to Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea
In November 1996, Zola joined ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for £4.5 million as one of several continental players signed by Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
and wore the number 25 jersey, he made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
. In his debut season he put in several notable performances and scored a series of memorable goals. In February 1997, after spiriting the ball around Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's defence in the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...
, he was described by United manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
as a "clever little so-and-so." He was a key player in Chelsea's resurgence that season, helping them win the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
with a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
at Wembley having scored four goals en route to the final, including a 25 yard curling shot against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
as Chelsea came from 0–2 behind to win 4–2, and a "twisted blood" effort in the semi-final against Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, backheeling the ball and turning 180 degrees before slotting the ball into the net. At the end of the season he was voted FWA Player of the Year
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
, 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.
In 1997–98, he helped Chelsea win three more trophies, the League Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup and the Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
. An injury denied him a place in the starting line-up for the Cup Winners' Cup final against Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
at the Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, also Råsundastadion, Råsunda Stadium or just Råsunda, is a Swedish national football stadium. It is located in Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm and named after Råsunda, a zone of Solna.-History:...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, but he came on as a second-half substitute and scored the winning goal within 21 seconds. With only his second touch of the game, he struck a through ball from Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
past Wohlfahrt into the roof of the net to secure Chelsea's third major trophy in a year and the second European trophy in the club's history. In the same season, Zola hit his first professional hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
, in a 4–0 victory over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
at Stamford Bridge in November 1997.
| "Gianfranco tries everything because he is a wizard and the wizard must try." |
| — Claudio Ranieri reflecting on Zola's back-heeled goal against Norwich in 2002. |
When Chelsea made their first appearance in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in 1999–2000, Zola was a key player throughout, although he found his chances in the league more limited, owing to manager Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
's squad rotation policy. Zola scored three goals in Chelsea's run to the quarter-finals, including a curling free kick against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, and again won the FA Cup with the club, with his free-kick in the final against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
setting up Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo is a Swiss-born Italian former professional footballer and the current assistant manager of Chelsea. As a midfielder, he enjoyed spells at Schaffhausen, Zürich Aarau, Lazio, and Chelsea. He was capped by Italy 34 times, scoring two goals for the Italian national team, and played...
's winner. His later years with Chelsea saw his appearances restricted by the new strike pairing of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals...
and Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for AEK Athens F.C. in the Superleague Greece. He has previously played for Premier League club Chelsea and FC Barcelona of Spain, having made his name with Bolton Wanderers. He was the captain of the Iceland national team until...
, but in Hasselbaink's first season at Stamford Bridge, Zola formed a good partnership with him, scoring 32 league goals between them, (Zola scoring 9 and Hasselbaink hauled 23). It was the 2001–02 season that Zola's starting chances became limited, after a summer when Claudio Ranieri showed to door to many of Chelsea's ageing stars such as club captain Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
, goalscoring midfielder Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Gus Poyet Domínguez is a former Uruguay international footballer and current manager of English side Brighton & Hove Albion.During his playing career, Poyet featured for teams including Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur....
and French defender Frank Leboeuf
Frank Leboeuf
Franck Alain James Leboeuf or Lebœuf is a former French international footballer who played as a defender...
, Zola was limited to infrequent starts and many substitute appearances due to Ranieri's new policy of decreasing the average age of the Chelsea squad, preferring to play the gifted Icelandic youngster Gudjohnsen with Hasselbiank, though Zola did score with a backheeled effort in mid-air in an FA Cup tie against Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, a goal manager Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
described as "fantasy, magic". In 2002–03, his final season with Chelsea, he enjoyed a renaissance, scoring 16 goals, his highest seasonal tally for Chelsea, and was voted the club's player of the year after helping Chelsea qualify for the Champions League.
Zola scored his final goal for Chelsea, a lob from outside the penalty area against Everton, on Easter Monday 2003, and made his final competitive appearance for the club on the final day of the season with a 20-minute cameo against Liverpool, beating four 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. He played in a total of 312 games for Chelsea and scored 80 goals. In early 2003, Zola was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by Chelsea's fans. In November 2004, he was awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
– Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in a special ceremony in Rome. In 2005, Zola was voted into the Chelsea F.C. 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.
Return to Italy
In the summer of 2003, amid rumours of an impending takeover at Chelsea, Zola left Stamford Bridge to join CagliariCagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
, the most important club from his native Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. Within a week Chelsea was acquired by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
. It was reported that Abramovich tried to buy the entire Cagliari club when Zola refused to renege on his verbal contract with Cagliari, although Zola himself will not confirm it. Zola subsequently led Cagliari to promotion to the Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. Then he renewed his contract for Cagliari Calcio for one more year. He retired in June 2005, after ending his career in appropriate style with a double against Juventus in his last ever professional game. His number 10 Cagliari jersey was withdrawn in his honour for the season after he left but was worn in the 2006–07 season by Andrea Capone
Andrea Capone
Andrea Capone is an Italian football Midfielder He currently plays for Salernitana.He wore the number 10 shirt at Cagliari. This is significant as two years previously it had been Gianfranco Zola's number and had been retired the previous season.On 12 July 2007, it was announced that Capone had...
.
International career
Zola made his debut for ItalyItaly national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on 13 November 1991, in a Euro 1992 qualifier against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, which ended 1–1. He appeared at the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, making one appearance in the second round against Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
. After only a few minutes, Zola was sent off, after 'fouling' Augustine Eguavoen, which forced him to miss the two subsequent World Cup matches. He did not regain his place in the side after this suspension.
His first two goals came on 25 March 1995, in a 4–1 in a Euro 1996 qualifier against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. He also played in all three group games at Euro 1996, and missed a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
as Italy surprisingly crashed out in the first round. He scored the only goal of the game in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifying match against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
at Wembley in February 1997, and won his final cap for Italy in the return fixture against England in Rome in October 1997. He retired from international play after he was not called up for the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, finishing with 35 total caps and ten goals.
Commentary career
In his playing career, Zola played 628 games and scored 193 goals. 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-LeagueA-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
clubs, including Sydney
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
, 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
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
for A-line Allstars on 14 July 2007 as part of a kit sponsorship deal between Shrewsbury Town and A-line
A-line
An A-line skirt is a skirt that is fitted at the hips and gradually widens towards the hem, giving the impression of the shape of a capital letter A. The term is also used to describe dresses and coats with a similar shape.-History:...
. It was the first match ever played at the New Meadow
New Meadow
The New Meadow, also known as the Greenhous Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Shrewsbury Town Football Club and is a UEFA Category Four stadium. The stadium is situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, England, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm...
stadium; A-line
A-line
An A-line skirt is a skirt that is fitted at the hips and gradually widens towards the hem, giving the impression of the shape of a capital letter A. The term is also used to describe dresses and coats with a similar shape.-History:...
make Zola's boots.
Italy U21
In 2006, Zola started his coaching career, being appointed as assistant manager to Italy U-21Italy national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
manager and Pierluigi Casiraghi by the Italian Football Federation. The duo led the azzurrini to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where they reached the quarter-finals before being defeated 3–2 by Belgium U-21
Belgium national under-21 football team
The Belgium national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Belgium and is controlled by the Belgian Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
.
West Ham United
On 9 September 2008, Zola agreed a three-year contract to manage West Ham United, replacing Alan CurbishleyAlan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
, who resigned following differences with the board.
He was unveiled as manager on 11 September, despite not having the required UEFA A managing licence. Zola, surprisingly for someone closely associated with West Ham's cross-town rivals Chelsea, quickly gained the backing of the fans. Nevertheless, he received applause from Chelsea fans whenever he returned to Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
as West Ham manager. After a shaky start Zola began to develop a side with a flair not seen in a West Ham side for some years. He was also praised for integrating more youth products into the first team. The likes of Junior Stanislas
Junior Stanislas
Felix Junior Stanislas , more commonly known as Junior Stanislas is an English footballer who plays for Burnley as a winger in the Championship. He was previously with West Ham United.-West Ham United:...
and Zavon Hines
Zavon Hines
Zavon Hines is a Jamaican-born, English footballer who currently plays for Championship side Burnley as a striker. Hines was born in Jamaica but has played for England's under-21 team.-West Ham United:...
were given their debuts. The duo and first team youngsters Jack Collison
Jack Collison
Jack David Collison is a Welsh international footballer who plays for West Ham United. Collison is a product of West Ham's youth academy and has quickly progressed from trainee to playing first team football in the Premier League since joining at age sixteen...
and James Tomkins
James Tomkins (footballer)
James Oliver Charles Tomkins is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United. He has represented England at all levels up to the under-21 team...
all scored their first goals for the club. In April 2009, Zola signed a contract that could have kept him at Upton Park until 2013. West Ham struggled in the 2009–10 season. Zola's position as manager was put in doubt when he revealed he had not been consulted over a bid for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
player Graham Dorrans
Graham Dorrans
Graham Dorrans is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as an Attacking Midfielder for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion and the Scotland national side. He has a wife and 1 daughter Leah Dorrans...
and by chairman David Sullivan's announcement that the entire squad was for sale except for midfielder Scott Parker
Scott Parker (footballer)
Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...
. West Ham finished in 17th place, only five points above the relegation places.
On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the 2009–10 season, West Ham announced the termination of Zola's contract with immediate effect. Avram Grant was announced as his successor on 3 June 2010, and a week later it was announced that the club had reached a compensation settlement with Zola.
Career statistics
|-|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Nuorese
F.C. Nuorese Calcio
U.S.D. Nuorese Calcio are an Italian association football club from Nuoro, Sardinia, founded in 1930. The club was known as A.S. Nuorese Calcio until 2006, and F.C...
||Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
||4||0||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||4||0
|-
|1985–86||Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...
|||27||10||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||27||10
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="3"|Sassari Torres
Sassari Torres 1903
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Società di Educazione Fisica Torres 1903 is an Italian association football club, based in Sassari, Sardinia...
||Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
||30||8||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||30||8
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="2"|Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
||24||2||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||24||2
|-
|1988–89||34||11||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||34||11
|-
|1989–90||rowspan="4"|Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||18||2||6||1||Colspan="2"|––||2||0||18||2
|-
|1990–91||20||6||7||0||Colspan="2"|––||2||0||20||6
|-
|1991–92||34||12||4||1||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||34||12
|-
|1992–93||33||12||6||2||Colspan="2"|––||4||0||33||12
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="4"|Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||33||18||||||Colspan="2"|––||||1||33||18
|-
|1994–95||32||19||||||Colspan="2"|––||||5||32||19
|-
|1995–96||29||10||||||Colspan="2"|––||3||2||32||12
|-
|1996–97||8||2||||||Colspan="2"|––||||||8||2
|-
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="7"|Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||23||8||7||4||0||0||Colspan="2"|––||30||12
|-
|1997–98||27||8||1||0||4|||0||8||4||40||12
|-
|1998–99||37||13||6||1||0||0||5||1||48||15
|-
|1999–2000||33||4||5||1||0||0||15||3||53||8
|-
|2000–01||36||9||3||2||1||1||2||0||42||12
|-
|2001–02||35||3||6||1||5||0||4||1||50||5
|-
|2002–03||38||14||3||2||3||0||2||0||46||16
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
||Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
||43||13||?||0||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||43||13
|-
|2004–05||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||31||9||?||4||Colspan="2"|––||Colspan="2"|––||31||9
400||134||||||Colspan="2"|––––||3||2||403||136
229||59||24||11||13||1||31||9||297||80
629||193||24||11||13||1||34||11||700||216
|-
|1991||2||0
|-
|1992||1||0
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||6||0
|-
|1995||8||7
|-
|1996||8||0
|-
|1997||9||3
|-
!Total||35||10
|}
Manager
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
15 September 2008 | 11 May 2010 |
|||||
Club
Torres- Serie C2 (1): 1986–87
Napoli
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(1): 1989–90 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 19901990 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1990 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 1989-90 Serie A winners Napoli and the 1989-90 Coppa Italia winners Juventus.The match resulted in a 5-1 win for Napoli.-Match details:-References:...
Parma
- UEFA Cup (1): 1994–951995 UEFA Cup FinalThe 1995 UEFA Cup Final was played between two Italian teams Juventus and Parma, and was played over two legs. The first match between these two sides was played at the Ennio Tardini Stadium and it ended in a 1–0 victory for the home team...
- UEFA Super Cup (1): 19931993 UEFA Super CupThe 1993 UEFA Super Cup was contested between Milan of Italy and Parma of Italy . It was won by Parma, 2–1 on aggregate. The final was contested over two legs with a leg at each of the sides' home grounds. The first leg took place at Ennio Tardini, Parma on 12 January 1994 and ended 0–1...
Chelsea
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(2): 1996–97, 1999–00 - FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(1): 20002000 FA Charity ShieldThe 2000 FA Charity Shield was the 78th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played between Manchester United, who won the 1999–2000 Premier League, and Chelsea, who won the 1999–2000 FA... - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(1): 1997–981998 Football League Cup FinalThe 1998 Coca-Cola Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and would go on to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season... - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1997–98 - UEFA Super Cup (1): 19981998 UEFA Super CupThe 1998 UEFA Super Cup was a match that was played on 28 August 1998 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, contested between Cup Winners' Cup holders Chelsea and Champions League winners Real Madrid. Chelsea won the match 1–0. Guus Hiddink manager of Real Madrid went on to manage Chelsea to win the...
Individual
- Premier League Player of the MonthPremier League Player of the MonthThe Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
(2): December 1996, October 2002 - FWA Footballer of the YearFootball Writers' Association Footballer of the YearThe Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
(1): 1997 - Chelsea Player of the Year (2): 1999, 2003
- Retired numbers in association football ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
No. 25: 2003 (unofficial) - Senatore Salvatore Mannironi: 2004
- Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
: 2004 - Chelsea Centenary XI: 2005
- English Football Hall of FameEnglish Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
: 2006
External links
- www.footballdatabase.com profile, detailed club and national team statistics, honours, timeline and picture gallery