Shirt Nº: 25
Date of Birth: July 5, 1966
Place of Birth: Oliena, Sardinia
Height: 168cm (5'6")
Weight: 10st 10lb
Date Signed: November 8, 1996
Signed From: Parma
Now With: Chelsea FC
Position: Foward
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Name: Gianfranco Zola Shirt Nº: 25 Date of Birth: July 5, 1966 Place of Birth: Oliena, Sardinia Height: 168cm (5'6") Weight: 10st 10lb Date Signed: November 8, 1996 Signed From: Parma Now With: Chelsea FC Position: Foward |
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Chelsea's Italian maestro Gianfranco Zola was the Footballer of theYear in 1996, completing a hat-trick of foreign winners of the Writers' coveted award in its 50th year. The 30-year-old has made a stunning impact on the English including an FA Cup Final winners medal, and follows Jurgen Klinsmann (1995) and French ace Eric Cantona (1996) in capturing the 350-strong. A delighted Zola said: ``Every footballer wants to win a prize like this. ``It is a big honour for me and I feel very lucky. It is hard for me to explain with words what I am feeling. It is not easy to be voted Footballer of the Year when there are so many good players in England. Zola, who stands at only 5' 6" and is a regular in the Italian team, became disenchanted at Parma after belng forced to play in a more defensive role, with Enrico Chiesa and Hernan Crespo operating their centre-forwards. Zola's scoring ability is unquestioned, scoring 49 goals in 102 league appearances for Parma and he was the third highest scorer in Seria A in the 95-96 season, as well as being a great playmaker for the club. Zola's influence has helped Parma to UEFA Cup and European Cup Winners Cup successes in recent years, and he will now be looking towards Italy’s campaign for the World Cup next year.
