Gianfranco Zola – West Ham United F.C. Manager
Gianfranco Zola – Manager of West Ham United Football Club
Gianfranco Zola OBE (born July 5, 1966 in Oliena, Sardinia) is a retired Italian footballer, currently working as the manager of West Ham United in the Premier League, as of 11th September 2008, having been the assistant coach to the Italian Under-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi.[2]
He is regarded as one of the finest players of his generation and arguably one of the greatest free kick takers of all time. Renowned for his technique, skill and dribbling and beheld by many as one of the greatest players to ever grace the Premier League. He spent the first decade of his career in Italy, most notably with Napoli (alongside the legendary Argentinian Diego Maradona and Brazilian striker Careca) and Parma, before moving to English side Chelsea, where he was voted Football Writers’ Player of the Year in 1997 and their greatest ever player. He was also capped 35 times for Italy.
Personal information
Date of birth : July 5, 1966 (1966-07-05) (age 42)
Place of birth : Oliena, Sardinia
Height : 1.66 m (5 ft 5+1?2 in)
Playing position : Deep-lying forward
Current Job : West Ham United F.C. Manager
League : English Premier League Football Club
Managerial career
Italy U21s
In 2006, Zola started his coaching career, being appointed as assistant to Italy national under-21 football team head coach Pierluigi Casiraghi by the Italian Football Federation.[2] The duo, who had been teammates at Chelsea, led the azzurrini to gain a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where they reached the quarter-finals before being defeated 3–2 by Belgium.
West Ham United
On September 9, 2008 Zola agreed a three-year contract to manage West Ham United, replacing Alan Curbishley, who resigned following differences with the board. He was unveiled as club manager on 11 September despite not having the required UEFA A coaching licence.[14][15] Two days later he attended West Ham’s 3-2 away defeat to West Brom, but did not take charge of the team until the following Monday.[16] On September 20, 2008, at Upton Park, he won his first game in charge of West Ham United, beating Newcastle United 3-1.[17] His first cup game a few days later was met by a 1-0 defeat away to Watford in the League Cup.
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