The Italian magician arrived from Parma in November 1996 and left nearly seven years later as an all-time great, his place in our history books cemented by a catalogue of indelible moments.

Narrowing them down to a shortlist is no easy feat – anybody who had the good fortune of watching Zola play for us will call to mind different memories of his genius. But here are 11 moments, in chronological order, that we think stand out above the rest...

Opening his account in style – 7 December 1996

Zola’s first Chelsea goal was a sign of things to come. Standing over a free-kick 35 yards out, few would have given him a chance of finding the net – but we didn’t know then quite how capable he was from set-pieces.

His strike had whip and dip, leaving Everton’s keeper Neville Southall and a defender who had hastily retreated to the line in a spin, and Chelsea mouths agape.

Beguiling and bewitching – 21 December 1996

A fortnight later Zola’s ingenuity again left Stamford Bridge in awe. This time he was released down the right-hand channel before turning grizzled West Ham full-back Julian Dicks inside and out and firing home with aplomb.

'I didn't know who Julian Dicks was at that point,' Gianfranco joked years later. 'Probably if I had known maybe I wouldn't have done that as it was too dangerous!'

Too good for the best – 22 February 1997

Few made the great Manchester United team of the nineties and noughties look as silly as Zola did in just the second minute of a February ’97 Premier League meeting.

He first cut inside the sliding Dennis Irwin before easing past Gary Pallister, left imbalanced by Zola’s delicate touch. The finish that followed was emphatic, fired past the rooted Peter Schmeichel at his near post.

A touch of class – 13 April 1997

Not even six months into his Chelsea career and Zola had already accumulated an enviable collection of wonder goals. Arguably none topped his dazzling effort in the FA Cup semi-final win over Wimbledon at Highbury.

Running adjacent to the goal, Zola collected a pass from Roberto Di Matteo and with his first touch somehow flicked it back in the opposite direction and into his path as he shifted his weight. One more touch and then bang – the ball was in the Wimbledon net!

Voted the best in the land – 3 May 1997

Zola’s debut season in England captured the attention of fans and pundits alike, to the extent the country’s journalists voted him as their Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year by a distance – Zola polled twice the number of votes gained by Juninho and our own Mark Hughes.

It was a season in which he also scored the winning goal for Italy against England at Wembley.

Assisting in style - 17 May 1997

Our first piece of major silverware in a generation was secured when Eddie Newton forced the ball home from close range late on in our FA Cup final triumph against Middlesbrough at Wembley.

The goal owed much to the majesty of Zola, who deftly flicked Dan Petrescu’s cross back into the six-yard box for Newton to convert.

Our Cup king – 13 May 1998

Zola’s most famous Chelsea goal arrived scarcely 20 seconds after he had entered the action in the 1998 Cup Winners’ Cup final. He wasted no time making an impact, latching on a Dennis Wise pass and thrashing the ball high into the roof of the net.

It was his most famous Chelsea goal and it won us the Cup Winners’ Cup.

A statement set-piece – 5 April 2000

Our first ever Champions League quarter-final tie paired us with the might of Barcelona. Zola inspired an extraordinary performance with a trademark free-kick that dipped over the wall and into the Shed End net.

We were 3-0 up by the break at an ecstatic Stamford Bridge in what will go down as one of Chelsea’s greatest halves of football ever.

‘That’s impossible’ – 16 January 2002

Not many goals leave people speechless, but Zola managed just that in an FA Cup tie against Norwich in 2002. He met Graeme Le Saux’s low corner on the full with a backflicked volley that fizzed past Rob Green in a flash.

It wasn’t until the replay was shown on the big screen at Stamford Bridge that the audacity and execution of the finish was evident.

The last goal – 21 April 2003

Zola finished as he started. Just as his first Chelsea goal had the Bridge faithful in awe, so did his last. With Chelsea cruising against Everton in our quest to finish in the top four, Zola raced down the left and, from an improbable angle, lofted the bouncing ball over Richard Wright in the Everton goal.

It was the kind of moment of magic Zola had deservedly earned a reputation as producing on a regular basis.

Signing off with a flourish – 11 May 2003

Zola’s final game for the Blues was a huge one as we hosted Liverpool at the Bridge with the final spot in the Champions League places up for grabs.

We led 2-1 when Zola came off the bench and, with time ticking down, danced between a gaggle of red shirts, including a bewildered Jamie Carragher, in a clip that has stood the test of time to go viral in the modern age. It epitomised his genius.

Chelsea Legends play their Liverpool counterparts at Anfield on Saturday 22 March. Tickets are still available to purchase, with more names to be added in the coming weeks!