A Ryder Cup Champion! Ex-Chelsea Star Gianfranco Zola Explains How He Ended Up on Team Europe

From Stamford Bridge Glory to Ryder Cup Fairways

Gianfranco Zola has done a lot in football. He’s worn the blue of Chelsea, danced past defenders in Serie A, and carried the pride of Italy at the World Cup. He’s lifted league titles, dazzled at Wembley, and been adored at Stamford Bridge like few others.

But nothing, it seems, quite prepared him for the thrill of driving a golf cart at one of sport’s fiercest competitions. At 58 years old, Zola found himself in New York last week, not as a football pundit, nor as a coach, but as part of Team Europe’s Ryder Cup set-up — Francesco Molinari’s buggy driver, to be precise.

On paper, it sounds like a small role. In reality, Zola’s presence became a symbol of Europe’s unity. And when Luke Donald’s side sealed a dramatic 15–13 victory over Team USA at Bethpage Black, the Italian could proudly say he’d been part of history.

Zola and Team Europe Celebrate Ryder Cup Victory

For Zola, it wasn’t just about sitting behind the wheel. His week with Team Europe reminded him of the locker rooms he once knew so well. The laughter, the inside jokes, the nerves before a decisive point — it all felt familiar.

“It’s like the World Cup,” he admitted to Gazzetta dello Sport. “Sure, I was a key player in Naples when we won the championship, but the emotional comparison is fair. The experience was wonderful, especially because I’m a genuine golf fan; I love it. Spending a week like this was truly a step back in time. The same joy, the same emotions.”

The Ryder Cup, of course, is golf’s ultimate team event. It pits Europe against the USA in a clash of pride and pressure that comes only once every two years. For Zola, being part of Europe’s first win on American soil in 13 years was a thrill that rivalled anything he’d felt in football.

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Zola’s love affair with golf began back in 1996, soon after he moved to London. At the time, Gianluca Vialli was not just a team-mate but a mentor. And it was Vialli who dragged him out onto the fairways.

“He was fundamental in my life for a thousand reasons,” Zola recalled. “We were together at Chelsea, and he was the one who introduced me to golf. It was 1996 and I had just moved to London. He invited me to play a few rounds, but I didn’t want to and said no. Luckily, he insisted.”

One swing — a half-flappa, as he calls it — was enough to spark a lifelong passion. Today, Zola is a handicap 2 golfer, playing once or twice a week with the same discipline he applied on the training ground.

And it was another Italian connection, Francesco Molinari, that brought him to New York.

Zola Becomes Molinari’s Go-Kart Driver

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The invitation was as surprising to Zola as it was to everyone else. “Francesco Molinari called me and asked me if I wanted to be his go-kart driver. I thought it was a joke,” he laughed.

But Molinari wasn’t joking. He wanted his friend there, not just for logistics, but for atmosphere. And Zola delivered.

Whether ferrying Molinari across Bethpage Black’s hilly terrain or cracking jokes with players’ families, he became a trusted figure in the European camp. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Shane Lowry all warmed to the Italian’s energy. Justin Rose even admitted to being “starstruck” when he saw Zola in the team room for the first time.

The Ryder Cup Reminded Zola of Football

What struck Zola most was the camaraderie. It felt, he said, just like being back with Napoli, Parma, or Chelsea.

“Absolutely yes,” he smiled. “Even today when I meet up with former teammates from Napoli or Parma, it’s as if time had never passed: we immediately start joking and having fun. It was the same with the whole group in New York.”

He also admired Luke Donald’s leadership. From detailed preparation to sharp communication, Zola recognised in him the qualities of great football managers.

“A great communicator, he and his entire staff of vice-captains are very good at getting their thoughts across,” Zola said. “They were able to defuse tensions. We spent a week joking and laughing together. It warmed the soul. Life is like that — you have to joke and not give yourself too much importance, it moves too fast to take it too seriously.”

Handling Pressure: Lessons from McIlroy and Lowry

Zola knows all about pressure, but even he was impressed by how Europe’s golfers handled the heat of Bethpage. The American crowds were loud, sometimes hostile, but McIlroy and Lowry responded with poise.

“Because he’s the greatest of all, Rory was fantastic,” Zola said. “He responded like a gentleman and a champion, just like Shane Lowry, who played with him. They were extraordinary. They played great and at the same time they put those fans who had gone too far in their place.”

For Zola, the mental fortitude mirrored the resilience he’d seen in football dressing rooms, where champions respond not with anger but with performance.

Zola Applies Football Philosophy to Golf

Even away from the Ryder Cup, Zola treats golf with the same relentless hunger he brought to football. He doesn’t just play — he trains.

“I’m currently at a handicap of 2 and I want to get to 0,” he explained. “Then I’ll want to be at a handicap of 2 again, then even better. In golf, I’m trying to maintain the same philosophy I had in football: trying to be a little better every day than I was the day before. Once you reach a goal, you have to immediately set another one, otherwise you get complacent. You become a creature of habit, and I don’t like that.”

It’s the mindset of a serial competitor, whether in boots or spikes.

Zola Finds a New Perspective on Life

Perhaps the biggest gift the Ryder Cup gave Zola was perspective. Away from football, he rediscovered the pure joy of being part of a team. Whether that meant supporting players’ families, joking with children, or offering advice from his own career, Zola contributed far more than Molinari’s buggy runs.

He also reflected deeply on the figures who shaped his own life: his father, his idols Luigi Riva and Diego Maradona, and of course Vialli.

“Diego, Gigi, Riva, my father — they’re always with me,” Zola said. “They shaped me. Golf, in some ways, keeps me connected to them.”

Just as José María Olazábal once wore Seve Ballesteros’ initials over his heart, Zola carries the memories of those giants into every sporting chapter he writes.

Conclusion: A Ryder Cup Champion in Spirit

Gianfranco Zola didn’t strike a ball at Bethpage Black. He didn’t drain a 12-foot putt or drive the green on a par four. Yet in spirit, he was as much a Ryder Cup champion as the men who hoisted the trophy.

From Stamford Bridge to New York fairways, his journey proves that passion, humility, and joy can bridge sports. And whether it’s football or golf, one truth holds: Gianfranco Zola was, is, and always will be a team player.