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Chelsea:
F A Cup Winner 1997, 2000
F A Community Shield Winner 1998
Uefa Cup Winners Cup Winner 1998
European Super Cup Winner 1998
Personal Honours:
Awarded OBE in 2004 for recognition of his contribution to English football
FWA Player of the year 1997
Inducted into the English football Hall of Fame in 2006, for recognition of his achievements to English football
Twice voted Chelsea player of the season 1999, 2003
Voted Chelsea`s Greatest ever player in 2005 by the people who really count, the fans!
Gianfranco Zola was signed for Chelsea in Nov 1996 by the then manager Ruud Gullit, we got the deal of the century paying £4.5m to Parma for his services, he was also the first signing after the tragic death of Matthew Harding (RIP) a month earlier.
Franco played his league debut for the blues on 16th Nov 96 away to Blackburn Rovers in a 1-1 draw, aged 30 years old, and the first of this eighty fantastic goals for Chelsea came on 7th Dec 1996 at home to Everton, in his first season in English football Zola was awarded the Football Writers Association Player of the Year Award on 2nd May 1997, he was the first Chelsea player to receive this award and also the first player to win this accolade without playing a full season in English football!
1998 came with more reward for Franco when Chelsea reached the final of the Uefa cup winners cup, the game to be played against VfB Stuttgart at the Rasunda Stadium, Stockholm, as a result of Zola coming on in the 69th min, 20 seconds later Zola had done it ( he scored a blinder ) we were one nill up after his second touch and a defence splitting pass from Dennis Wise, with the help of Franco`s wonder strike we had finally won another European competition, the first since 1971.
More goals were to come, The goal at home to Norwich which will be remembered, not just for the back heel but also the dedication of this goal to a young terminally ill boy that the gentleman Zola had visited in hospital days earlier, this goal was capped off by manager Claudio Ranieri as "fantasy-magic", say no more!
Two special zola goals for me are the goals he scored in the Fa cup 4th round 4-0 away victory over Shrewsbury Town on 26th Jan 2003, the goals came either half in the 40th and 75 min, why? because i am very lucky in the fact that i own the shirt from this game, ( see above photo) the shirt was swapped after the game with the Shrews captain Nigel Jemson, the shirt was later moved on by Jemson and managed to fall into my hands and now takes pride of place in our collection!
Franco scored his last goal for Chelsea against Everton at Stamford Bridge on Easter monday 2003, this goal was a supurb lob that no keeper would have got near and a great way to end your goal scoring career at the bridge.
Franco played his last competitive game for Chelsea at the bridge in a 20 min cameo apperance against Liverpool, very sad day for not just Chelsea supporters but football supporters in general!
All in all the greatest ever Chelsea player with 312 games for the blues under his belt and 80 fantastic goals, a true blue legend!!!
" A footballer as small as me has quit football a great footballer, but also a fantastic man and a very good friend of mine" (Diego Maradona).
