The 10-Minute World Cup Career Of A Football Legend – And His Forgotten 90s Golf Lesson
Gianfranco Zola is an icon of European football whose World Cup career ended prematurely in the 90s - but his golf swing was rapidly improving!
Golf Monthly Magazine
Gianfranco Zola was a hero of mine growing up. As a huge football fan, I was in awe of his skill, finesse and ability to terrorise defences - which is quite something considering I am not a Chelsea fan.
As a fanboy of the Italian star, I have always been stunned by his limited World Cup footprint and saddened by the unfortunate circumstances that restricted his playing time for the Azzurri in the biggest competition on the planet.
At the World Cup in 1994, the last time the tournament was hosted in the United States, Zola was substituted on for Italy in a knockout match against Nigeria.
Sadly, he lasted just 10 minutes due to being sent off for a foul on Augustine Eguavoen - on his 28th birthday no less.
He never represented Italy in the World Cup again and thus one of the greatest footballers in Premier League history failed to realise his full potential on the greatest stage in the sport.
When flicking through the Golf Monthly magazine archive recently, I was pleased to find a 1999 'star lesson' featuring Zola himself - which allowed me to embark on a nostalgic journey while also learning a thing or two that could improve my game.
As we head back to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, it seems like a fitting time to share the article in all its glory - unedited and unfiltered to capture the true nostalgia of a football legend being helped with his golf game in just the same way as you and I.
These tips from the December 1999 issue of Golf Monthly magazine, which were given by PGA Pro Gavin Ryan at the London Club, certainly stand the test of time and can still help other amateur golfers to shoot lower scores and cut their handicap in 2026...
Gianfranco Zola's Retro Golf Lesson – December 1999
To the majority of Golf Monthly readers, Italian superstar striker Gianfranco Zola will need little or no introduction.
Since moving from Italian side Parma to join Chelsea in November 1996, he has set Stamford Bridge and the Premiership alight with his silky skills, fancy footwork, dazzling array of free kicks and his sheer passion for the game.
And who could forget his spectacular winner for Italy against England at Wembley two years ago?
In his first full season in England Zola was voted Player of the Year, and another highlight was scoring the winning goal for Chelsea in the 1998 European Cup Winners' Cup final against Stuttgart.
So, all in all, you could say that he has adapted reasonably well to playing football in England.
Gianfranco Zola is an icon of European Football, but he also has a pretty good golf swing
Gavin Ryan's Pre-Swing Analysis
The first thing which struck me upon meeting Gianfranco Zola was how physically fit and flexible he is.
He is not a tall man, but he is incredibly strong – built like a bull, all muscle and not a millimetre of fat in sight.
He is also incredibly supple, which is one reason why, although he is a 13-handicap, he has huge potential.
Despite some idiosyncrasies in his swing, he is a decent ball-striker and putts well. And although he isn't as sharp around the greens as he is around the edge of the penalty area, it's only feel which is lacking.
As you would expect from a top athlete, Gianfranco's set-up is well balanced and very good, in general, although there are several minor flaws present.
For a start his hands are a little too far behind the ball at address and his feet and toes are just a little too square. Ideally, I'd like to see his feet splayed by about 10 degrees or so to help him turn back and through.
Gianfranco allows his left arm to bend too much on his backswing and as he starts his downswing, he tends to slide too far forward with his hips before overcompensating by hanging back on his right side through the ball.
The result is an incomplete finish position and leaked shots to the right.
Gianfranco Zola's Lesson
1. Splaying left foot at address provides room to turn
My first change to Gianfranco's set-up was to flare out his left toe at address, so that instead of, aiming at, say, 12 o'clock on a clockface, it now aims at 1 o'clock.
The purpose of this minor adjustment is to make it easier for him to turn through the ball.
One reason why his hips slide too much at the start of the downswing is because they cannot rotate.
Simply by turning his left toe towards the target by a couple of inches, he will be able to clear his hips far more effectively.
2. Hands level with ball creates power at impact
As I mentioned in my initial analysis, Zola's hands are a little behind the ball at address. This causes a couple of problems.
Firstly, it makes it difficult for him to create a wide, one-piece takeaway on the correct plane and, secondly, it makes it extremely difficult for him to return the hands ahead of the ball at impact in order to exert pressure and power.
Taken from the 1999 December issue of Golf Monthly Magazine - Gianfranco Zola's improved hand position at address
3. Repairing a broken spoke – adding width to the swing
I explained to Gianfranco how important it is to retain the width in his left arm during the backswing in terms of creating power and consistency.
Because of his flexibility, he was able to feel the "stretch" in his backswing as I asked him to focus on keeping his left arm extended as he swings the club away.
The end result is a shorter, more compact, but much more solid, position at the top of his swing.
4. Creating more pressure at impact
Because of faults earlier in his swing, Gianfranco has a tendency to fall back on his right foot through impact and "flick" at the ball with his hands and wrists to get it moving forwards.
To help him feel the sensations associated with a more powerful impact – one where the weight is on the left side and with the hands slightly ahead of the ball to apply more pressure – I physically manipulated him into position and simply asked him to recreate it at impact for real.
The end result is much more power and leverage through the ball.
Taken from the 1999 December issue of Golf Monthly Magazine - Gianfranco Zola's improved pressure on the lead side at impact
Gavin Ryan's Post-Lesson Summary
As I expected, the amendments to Gianfranco's set-up had a knock-on effect to the rest of his game in the form of a wider takeaway, better weight transference back and through and a vastly improved impact position, where his weight now moves with the direction of the ball, not against it.
Obviously, it helps if you are as fit and flexible as Gianfranco, but acknowledging the importance of the basic fundamentals is a good lesson for anyone to learn.
Looking at this swing sequence now, it's clear that Gianfranco has the potential to be a really solid single-figure player, especially as he's just as common a sight on the golf course these days as he is at Stamford Bridge!
If he commits to the changes, he can go low very quickly, indeed.
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