Chelsea FC’s Top Five Cult Heroes
Gianfranco Zola
As if Gianfranco Zola, the magician, was not going be on this list. If I was to list all of the highlights of his Chelsea career between 1996 when Ruud Gullit signed the 30 year old for £4.5m from Parma and his departure in 2003 we would be here all day. Instead I will simply tell my own personal moment.
My first ever Chelsea match was against West Ham on the 28th September 2002, a couple of weeks after my 10th birthday. It was an eventful match; Scott Minto fouled Robert Huth and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink dispatched the resulting penalty; Jermain Defoe, coming on as a substitute, scored an equaliser just before half-time; after half-time Paolo DiCanio scored a wonderful diving header; but it was on the 74th minute when the magic of Zola shone through as he perfectly curled a free kick into the top corner past David James. Despite losing the match I came away from it amazed by Zola and in love with the little gentile Italian.
Gianfranco Zola was one of the reasons why I fell in love with Chelsea FC and I know of many people out there who have their own moments from him that are why they are Chelsea fans. It is fitting that only one shirt number has been retired by the club: Zola’s 25. We are all followers of the cult of Chelsea and Gianfranco Zola is our deity.
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