Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola was born in Oliena, Sardinia, Italy on July 5th, 1966 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 57, Gianfranco Zola biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 57 years old, Gianfranco Zola has this physical status:
Gianfranco Zola (born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played mainly as a forward.
He was Chelsea's most recent assistant manager. He spent the first decade of his playing career in Italy, most notably with Napoli, alongside Diego Maradona and Careca, where he was able to win the Serie A title and Parma, where he won the Italian Super Cup and the European Cup.
He then moved to Chelsea, where he was named Player of the Year by the Football Writers' in the 1996-97 season.
He won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two FA Cups, the League Cup, and the Community Shield during his time at the club.
He was named Chelsea's top player ever in 2003.
He was capped 35 times for Italy from his debut in 1991, 1994 World Cup, where Italy finished in second place and Euro 1996. Zola began his club management career with West Ham United of the Premier League in 2008 before being fired in 2010.
He was the boss of Watford from July 2012 to announcing his resignation on December 16th.
In Serie A, he ran Cagliari from December 2014 to March 2015. On July 18, 2018, he returned to Chelsea as the assistant of new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, ahead of the 2018–19 Premier League season.
Personal life
Zola is married to Franca and has three children; his son Andrea played for Grays Athletic and has played for the West Ham United Reserves.
Club career
Zola, a native of Oliena, completed his first professional deal with Sardinian company Nuorese in 1984. He moved to Torres, a Sassari-based team, where he spent three seasons.
He was first noticed by Luciano Moggi in 1989 and signed for Napoli in Serie A for 2 million, his first appearance in the sport that year. Napoli won the Serie A championship in 1990, the first league title of Zola's career, despite the young and talented Zola's understudy to Diego Maradona. Zola scored his first goal against Atalanta, while his second goal against Genoa was scored in injury time, allowing Napoli to win 2–1 and keep a two-point lead over Milan, Napoli's top title contenders, second place. Zola was thrilled by the change, and he formed a lasting friendship with Maradona, who said, "They have bought someone shorter than me." Maradona will have a major influence on Zola's career. After training, the two will spend hours practising free kicks together, and Zola later said that they learned everything from Diego. Every time he trained and discovered how to curl a free-kick just like him, I used to spy on him."
Following Maradona's drug ban in the second half of the 1990-91 season, Zola helped Napoli win the Italian Super Cup in 1990, partnering with Careca after Napoli's drug ban in the second half of the 1990-1991 season. Zola made his debut for the Italy national team under coach Arrigo Sacchi in 1991, winning his first cap against Norway in November due to his individual appearances. After Maradona left the team due to his suspension, he briefly inherited Maradona's number 10 shirt under new manager Claudio Ranieri, who scored 12 goals in 34 appearances. "Napoli doesn't have to search for someone to replace me because the team already has Zola," Maradona suggested following his departure. He played 12 goals in 33 league appearances, as well as Francesco Baiano's, finishing the 1992–93 season as the joint top assist provider in the league, with 12 assists. Zola played a total of 32 goals in 105 appearances during his Napoli time.
Zola left Napoli and joined Parma's Serie A side Parma for 13 million in 1993, owing to the Club's poor economic situation, the Neapolitan club's poor economic situation. He was initially accused of betraying the club by the fans, but Zola denied this, noting that Corrado Ferlaino had been compelled to sell other key Napoli players, including Jonas Thern, Ciro Ferrara, and Daniel Fonseca, in order to pay the team's debts. With Parma, he established himself as one of the top players in the league, as well as abroad; he came close to winning another Serie A title, but he was unable to do so; he came close to winning another Serie A title, but he ultimately failed to do so. He scored 18 league goals in his first season, as well as the UEFA Cup and the Italian Super Cup in 1995 with Parma, and the UEFA Cup Finals in 1994 and the Italian Super Cup finals. He cemented his name as one of Italy's top and most versatile creative players, as well as Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.
Zola's first competitive appearance in the team with Bulgarian forward Hristo Stoichkov, who played the same tactical role as Zola, occurred during the 1995–96 season; as a result, Zola will be deployed in the starting eleven with less regularity, losing his place in the squad despite scoring 10 league goals. During the following season, manager Carlo Ancelotti came to Zola as a "square peg" who was unable to integrate into his rigid 4–4–2 system, which he discovered on the club's 1996 roster. Zola was playing out of place in a left midfield role, scoring just two goals, as Ancelotti preferred to play Hernán Crespo and Enrico Chiesa up front. Zola became dissatisfied with playing in this situation and eventually became a player on loan, signing to Chelsea in November 1996. Zola made 102 appearances with Parma in total, scoring 49 goals.
Zola joined Chelsea for £4.5 million as one of several continental players signed by Ruud Gullit (including compatriot Gianluca Vialli) and was granted the number 25 jersey in November 1996. At Ewood Park, he made his Blackburn Rovers debut in a 1–1 draw. He demonstrated his ability and talent in his debut season, as well as a string of memorable goals. After spiriting the ball around Manchester United's defense in the penalty area before shooting the ball past goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, he was branded by United manager Alex Ferguson as a "clever little so-and-so."
He was a key figure in Chelsea's resurgent appearance in the FA Cup in 1996-97, including a 25-yard curling shot against Liverpool as Chelsea advanced to the final, a significant feat of individual ability against Wimbledon as Chelsea came from 0–2 behind to win 4–2, a memorable goal of individual effort in the semi-final against Wimbledon, backheeling the ball and turning 180 degrees before slotting the ball into the net. He was named FWA Player of the Year at the end of the season, the only player to win the award without playing a full season in the English league, and the first Chelsea player to win it.
Zola helped Chelsea win three more trophies, the League Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, and the Super Cup in the 1997–98 season. An injury denied him a spot in the team's Cup final against Stuttgart at Rsunda Stadium in Stockholm, but Chelsea's victory overshadowed it, as he came on as a second-half replacement and scored the winning goal in just 30 seconds. Chelsea won their third major trophy and the second European trophy in the club's history with a through ball from Dennis Wise. Zola scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over Derby County at Stamford Bridge in November 1997.
Zola was a key player in Chelsea's first appearance in the Champions League in 1999-2000, but due to manager Gianluca Vialli's squad rotation policy, his chances in the Premier League were limited. Zola scored three goals in Chelsea's path to the Champions League quarter-finals, including a curling free kick against Barcelona, and he retained the FA Cup with the club for the first time in the final against Aston Villa, setting up Roberto Di Matteo, the club's champion. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eir Gujohnsen's new strike pairing limited his appearances during Chelsea's later years. Zola scored 9 league goals in the 2000-2001 Premier League season.
Zola's starting opportunities became limited in the 2001–02 season, after Claudio Ranieri's summer when Chelsea captain Dennis Wise, goalscoring midfielder Gustavo Poyet, and French defender Frank Leboeuf all scored only 3 goals. Due to Ranieri's new approach of lowering the average age of the Chelsea squad, Zola was limited to infrequent starts and many substitute appearances, with Hasselbaink's gifted Icelandic youngster Gudjohnsen. Zola did draw attention in an FA Cup match against Norwich City on January 16, 2002, when he scored with a spectacular backheeled effort in mid-air from a corner-kick. Claudio Ranieri, the boss, referred to the target as "fantasy, magic."
In 2002-2003, Chelsea's last season, he enjoyed a renaissance, scoring 16 goals, his highest tally for Chelsea, and was named Player of the Year after assisting Chelsea in qualifying for the Champions League. Zola scored his final goal for Chelsea on Easter Monday, a lob from outside the penalty area against Everton, and he made his final competitive appearance for the club on the last day of the season, defeating four Liverpool players during a thrilling dribble late on in the match, winning applause from both groups of fans. This will be his last class moment in Chelsea's career. He appeared in a total of 312 games for Chelsea and scored 80 goals, totaling 59 goals in 229 Premier League appearances. During the following season, he returned to Italy.
Zola was named by Chelsea's supporters as the best Chelsea player ever by early 2003. In November 2004, he was named an OBE, Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire, at a special ceremony in Rome. Zola was elected into the Chelsea F.C. in 2005. Centenary Eleven was one of the two forward roles. Since his release, no other Chelsea player has owned Zola's number 25 shirt, prompting others to announce that the squad number has been reduced. Despite such rumors, the club hasn't withdrawn it from circulation. Zola was named as one of the top ten best international "artistic" players in Premier League history in 2007, behind George Best in second place.
Zola moved from Stamford Bridge to Cagliari in 2003, amid rumors of an imminent takeover at Chelsea. Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, bought Chelsea within a week.
When Zola refused to renege on his verbal deal with Cagliari, Abramovich attempted to buy the entire Cagliari team, Zola will not announce it. Zola was later promoted to the Italian Serie A by Cagliari. He renewed his Cagliari Calcio contract for one year. He retired in June 2005 after completing his career in a more mature manner with a double against Juventus in his last professional game. His number 10 Cagliari jersey was withdrawn in his honour for the season after he left, but Andrea Capone was wearing it in the 2006–07 season. Zola retired as the fifth best goalscorer of free-kicks in Serie A history, with 20 goals from set-pieces, and currently sits behind Francesco Totti and Roberto Baggio (both at 21), Andrea Pirlo (26) and Sini Mihajlovi (28).
International career
In a Euro 1992 qualifier against Norway that ended 1–1, Zola made his debut for Italy on November 13th, 1991 in Genova, under new manager Arrigo Sacchi. He appeared in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, making one substitute appearance in the second round of the second round, with Italy trailing 1–0. After being told by the referee to fouled Augustine Ehiyavoen, which caused him to miss two further World Cup matches, Zola was controversially dismissed after just 12 minutes. Despite Italy's victory in extra time and qualify for the World Cup final, Zola did not recover his place in the team after this suspension. In a Euro 1996 qualifier against Estonia in Salerno, his first two goals were scored on March 25, 1995, in a 4–1 victory.
Zola was called up for Euro 1996, and he participated in all three group tournaments at the tournament. Pierluigi Casiraghi's second goal in the team's 21-0 victory over Russia in the first round of the first group match, but he didn't lose a single point against eventual champions Germany in the second round; the victory would have paved the way for Italy to progress to the quarterfinals of the tournament. In a 1-0 victory over England in a 1998 World Cup qualifier match at Wembley Stadium, he scored his only goal of the game. In the return match against England in Rome on October 11, 1997, he earned his last cap for Italy, which resulted in a draw. He resigned from international service after being refused to participate in the 1998 World Cup by designer Cesare Maldini, who had chosen Del Piero and Roberto Baggio in his role. Zola had a total of 35 caps and ten goals throughout his international career.
He may also be eligible for the Sardinian national football team, having competed for the island on several occasions in Non-FIFA football. In fact, he appeared in the first official documented appearance of the institution in 1990. The England national football team was in Sardinia for a training camp 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. The Lions would face the best Sardinian players caught between Serie C and Amateurs in their first friendly match, establishing a XI. Zola, a S.C. player at the time, was a player at S.C.C. Napoli's only professional player and the most representative of the team, according to the squad's most representative one. With a 10–1 score, the Three Lions defeated the Three Lions. He was scheduled for his second match against Corsica seven years ago. All professional players were called (Zola was in Parma, A.C.) and the Sardinians won 1–0 with a winning goal by Zola.
Zola played 628 games and scored 193 goals during his career. Despite rumors that he will play again in the 2005–06 season, Zola decided to leave the game a week before he turned 39 and took up as an Italian football pundit. Many A-League clubs, including Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory, were among the reports circulating within Australia that Zola was being tracked for a potential return to Australia, but Zola denied such rumors. In December 2006, he did, however, play in both Marconi Stallions and APIA colors. On July 14, 2007, Zola played against Shrewsbury Town in the first match at their New Meadow stadium for "A-line Allstars," as part of a kit sponsorship agreement between the club and boot manufacturer A-Line, who made Zola's boots.
Managerial career
Zola began his coaching career in 2006 after being invited as assistant manager to Italy's U21 chief and Pierluigi Casiraghi by the Italian Football Federation. The pair led the azzurrini to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where they reached the quarter-finals before being defeated 3–2 by Belgium under-21s.
It was reported on September 7, 2008, that Zola had been interviewed in Rome for the vacant manager's post at West Ham United and had "impressed the Club's representatives" during the interview. Alan Curbishley, who resigned due to differences with the board, agreed to a three-year deal to lead West Ham United two days later. Despite not having the required UEFA A managing license, he was appointed as boss on September 11th. Despite being closely affiliated with West Ham's cross-town rivals Chelsea, Zola gained the fans' support quickly. However, Chelsea fans applauded him as he returned to Stamford Bridge as West Ham manager. Zola began to develop a flair not seen in a West Ham role for several years.
Zola also received accolades for incorporating more youth items into the first team. Junior Stanislas and Zavon Hines made their debuts. Jack Collison and James Tomkins, both under the age of four, scored their first goals for the team during their time. Zola signed a deal in April 2009 that may have kept him at Upton Park until 2013.
In the 2009–10 season, West Ham's season was plagued. Zola's position as boss was put into question when he admitted that he had not been consulted regarding a bid for West Bromwich Albion player Graham Dorrans and as a result of chairman David Sullivan's announcement that the entire team was for auction, except for midfielder Scott Parker. West Ham finished in 17th place, just five points behind the relegation places. West Ham reported the termination of Zola's employment with immediate effect on May 11, 2010, two days after the conclusion of the 2009–10 season. On June 3, 2010, Avram Grant was confirmed as his replacement, but a week later, it was announced that the club had reached a compensation agreement with Zola.
Following the club's takeover by Udinese and Granada owner Giampaolo Pozzo, Zola was strongly linked to the Watford management job in 2012. On July 7, he was appointed Watford's boss, beginning with a two-year deal.
Zola led Watford to third place and a play-off position in his first season, which culminated in them winning the final at Wembley Stadium. Until extra time, they lost 1–0 to 5th place on the Crystal Palace side. Zola resigned as Watford's manager on December 16, 2013. Watford were 13th in the league at the time of his resignal, had not won since October 2013 and had lost their last five home games.
Following Zden Zeman's dismissal, Zola was voted as the new head of Cagliari on December 24. Cagliari lost 0–5 at Palermo on January 6, 2015, leaving the club in the relegation zone. Two days later, he completed his first transfer as boss of the club by signing center-back Alejandro González on loan from fellow Serie A club Hellas Verona. Zola won his first game against Cesena 2–1 on January 11, 2015. Zola was fired after less than three months as Cagliari's boss, after being unable to return to the relegation zone after ten matches; following his ouster, Zeman was reinstated as Cagliari's boss.
Zola was appointed coach of Qatar's Al-Arabi team on July 11, 2015, on July 11th. He was fired after a poor first season in the Qatar Stars League, winning ten games out of a total of 12, losing 11, with the team finishing 8th out of 14.
Zola was appointed manager of Birmingham City in the EFL Championship, replacing Gary Rowett who had been fired earlier that day. Birmingham ranked 7th in the table at the time, just outside the playoff positions based on goal difference. Brighton & Hove Albion lost his first game in charge 2–1 at home. They did not win until Zola's 11th match in charge, a 1–0 win over Fulham on February 4, 2017. Zola resigned as boss after losing 2–0 home to Burton Albion, which left the team just three points above the relegation zone with three games remaining. They had only triumphed twice in his 24-match history.
Zola was appointed assistant first-team coach to Chelsea's Maurizio Sarri on July 18, 2018. Zola left the club on July 4, 2019, following Frank Lampard's arrival as head coach.