Beside a beautiful golf course in Mallorca, an Italian is explaining to an Englishman how he came to help Team Europe in America.
There’s many a course that brings back happy memories for Gianfranco Zola. Now 59, he is no less skilful with a pitching wedge in hand than he was with a football at his feet. But one holds a special place in his heart.
Bethpage Black, New York. The 2025 Ryder Cup. An unlikely assignment for a Chelsea legend, it has to be said.
So, Gianfranco, there’s no easy way of saying this… what on earth were you doing there?
‘Well, it was a big surprise to me too,’ laughs Zola. ‘But I’m a good friend of Francesco Molinari (a Team Europe vice-captain). One day he called me and asked if I wanted to go and join him at the Ryder Cup, driving his cart.
‘I said to him, “Are you joking or not? Because if it’s a joke, it’s not funny!”. No, it was all down to him. And it was an amazing experience.
Gianfranco Zola (right) alongside his friend and Team Europe vice-captain Francesco Molinari at the 2025 Ryder Cup
Golf is one of the Chelsea legend’s favourite pastimes in retirement, and he jumped at the chance to play a part in the Ryder Cup
‘It’s one of the greatest competitions in the world and I was very honoured to be there. I tried to help… it was just amazing.’
And help he probably did. He is a brilliant golfer Zola – a true perfectionist according to those who have played with him – but more than that a calming, relentlessly amiable personality.
As he reminisces to Daily Mail Sport under the beating Spanish sun, it is easy to imagine him offering a word or two of sage advice to Molinari amid the cauldron of a Ryder Cup Sunday.
Europe made an electric start last year, leading by seven points heading into the final day. It was a remarkable performance in the face of some pretty vile abuse from the American crowds, the most dominant display by either team in almost 50 years.
But then came the singles. A sea of red on the board threatened to wash away all of Europe’s good work. But despite a few nerves, Zola and Co remained cool.
‘The way they conducted themselves – the players and the coaches – they were outstanding,’ adds the Italian, who literally bows down in praise of one man in particular. ‘Luke Donald… chapeau.
‘The celebrations were wild… very, very wild. It was pure joy,’ says Zola of the scenes after Europe retained the Cup
Zola was speaking to Daily Mail Sport at the Battle of the Stars, a two-day charity golf tournament in Mallorca
Zola is a brilliant golfer — and a true perfectionist according to those who have played with him
‘Luke was a fantastic captain. His communication, his composure, how he conducted himself, it was unbelievable. He was great. And the vice-captains were excellent as well. They didn’t make a single mistake.’
Thanks to that level-headedness, Europe managed to get over the line for just the second win by an away team since 2004.
Shane Lowry sank a six-foot putt to halve his match and retain the Cup, bounding around the 18th green in jubilation. And that was just the start of the celebrations – the players, their families and the support staff apparently racking up a bar bill that topped £200,000 later that evening.
Zola declines to name and shame any of the players that partied hardest, but admits: ‘The celebrations were wild… very, very wild!
‘But they were well deserved. Everyone had worked very hard for that. The players made sure to celebrate and enjoy the moment. It was pure joy.’
Nine months on, Zola’s hangover has just about worn off. The former Chelsea, Parma and Napoli forward is talking to Daily Mail Sport at the Battle of the Stars, an annual celebrity golf tournament which raises money for Spanish ALS charities.
‘I love these tournaments because it’s an opportunity to have fun and at the same time help people in need,’ he says.
‘As a footballer, I’ve always been privileged. I had a lot of good times, I earned good money. But I know not everybody has got the same luck I’ve had. If I can help some people, I will always try to do it. That’s what life is about.’
Zola was a balletic dribbler and one of the first true stars of the Premier League era
The Italian made over 300 appearances for Chelsea between 1996 and 2003, scoring 80 goals
And if Zola seems so happy to be playing 18 holes, perhaps it’s because it takes his mind off football for a moment.
Chelsea, the club where he spent the happiest years of his career, where the balletic dribbler and set-piece specialist became one of the first genuine stars of the Premier League era, have finished another bitterly disappointing season in 10th.
Italy, meanwhile, are absent from the World Cup – an unthinkable state of affairs a decade ago – for the third tournament in a row.
Both could do with the little magician now. ‘It’s very painful at the moment,’ says Zola of the Azzurri’s absence from the greatest show on earth. ‘The World Cup is a great tournament.
‘I’m afraid a little bit for the health of the players because they’ve been playing so much this year. So that could be something that conditions the tournament. There are already a lot of injured players. But I’m sure in the end it will be a good competition.
‘It is difficult to pick a winner because there are three or four teams that are so strong, but I hope it’s going to be spectacular.’
Zola spends most of his time in Sardinia, the Italian island on which he grew up. But he still finds time to visit Stamford Bridge a few times a season. Still loves the place, the fans. And still harbours hope of a brighter future, especially since the appointment of Xabi Alonso.
Zola picks out Chelsea’s FA Cup triumph in 1997 as his favourite moment in a blue shirt
‘I always rate that as one of the best moments of my career. It was the first love – and you never forget that’
‘We all know it hasn’t been a good season but we all know we will come back strong,’ he insists. ‘I’m looking forward to the next season. It’s going to be challenging but I think we will do well under Xabi.
‘I have a long list of very good memories at Chelsea. I had a fantastic time over there. The highlight was probably the first FA Cup win (a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in 1997, in which Zola set up Eddie Newton’s second).
‘I always rate that as one of the best moments of my career. It was the first love – and you never forget that.’
Gianfranco Zola was speaking to Daily Mail Sport at the Battle of the Stars – an annual golf tournament played at Pula Golf Resort and Son Servera Golf Course in Mallorca to raise money for ALS charities.
