On the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona's passing, Italian legend Gianfranco Zola paid tribute to the football icon and discussed the current Chelsea side in an interview with camel.live.
Reporters brought up his brilliant free-kick for Chelsea against Barcelona in 2000 (when Gianluca Vialli was in charge): "I have wonderful memories of that game. We played extremely well and won 3-1. My free-kick was the first goal, but beyond that goal, the entire team's performance was also fantastic."
Zola was fortunate to train with one of the greatest free-kick specialists in history: "I have always attached great importance to free-kick technique. Being able to train with Maradona for a year and a half greatly enhanced my abilities. It's a great honor to have known Diego – he's been a tremendous source of inspiration for me."
Turning to the present, Zola praised Chelsea's current development: "The team has huge room for improvement, with many young players emerging, such as Estevão. They will have an even greater impact on the team, and the future is very bright."
"I studied Maresca before he came to Chelsea. He already showed excellent organizational skills at Leicester City, and he's done the same since arriving at Chelsea. He has brought a clear playing style and identity to the team. It's very effective and powerful."
"I think Yamal is a cut above Estevão: he has great strength and can accelerate to extreme speed over short distances after receiving the ball. I also really like Estevão because he has courage and handles the ball well in tight spaces. His physical attributes still need improvement, but he will get better."
