On today’s episode we are joined by one of the most iconic Italians to grace the Premier League. From humble beginnings in his hometown Sardinia, Gianfranco Zola was famed for playing the game in a beautiful way. He became one of the rising stars in his hometown which earned him a big money move to Napoli, who were led by the God-like figure Diego Maradona.
After impressing for Napoli, he moved to Parma and formed a deadly partnership with Faustino Asprilla, challenging Juventus for the Serie A title. However, he struggled for game time the following season under manager Carlo Ancelotti, which opened the door for Zola to make the move to Stamford Bridge. His audacious, entertaining style of play helped ignite Chelsea’s resurgence in the late 90’s and he became a firm favourite for the blues. He’s also widely seen as a trailblazer who formed English football’s early foreign revolution.
After finishing his playing career back home in Sardinia, Gianfranco moved into management, managing teams such as West Ham, Watford and Birmingham City, often under extremely challenging ownership groups. Gianfranco joins the show and opens up on those challenging situations whilst giving his honest opinion on the current footballing landscape and the state of his beloved Chelsea FC.
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Warning: This episode may contain strong language. 18+ gamble responsibly.
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00:00 Introduction to Zola
00:52 Podcast starts
01:28 Zola’s journey
07:50 Nuorese Calcio & Torres at 22
11:03 Napoli
13:02 Maradona
18:28 Wanting to do more as a player
21:42 Parma
23:12 Chelsea
34:28 Chelsea in 2024
40:19 Moving into management
41:30 West Ham
46:11 Watford
51:40 Birmingham
52:41 Chelsea assistant manager
01:00:06 Italy National Team