Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola says that the Blues made a very good first impression on him back in 1996.

The Italian forward signed for the Blues from Parma 20 years ago and in his seven-year stint with the club, went on to score 80 goals.

Zola joined the West London club for around £4.5million as one of a few continental players to arrive at Stamford Bridge under Ruud Gullit.

"My first impression was good because when I came over here Roberto Di Matteo and Luca Vialli were already playing for Chelsea, so they informed me about the situation and spoke very highly of the club," Zola recalled to Chelseafc.com.

"I enjoyed it very much because there was a lot of enthusiasm and a great atmosphere, not only around the stadium but also with the players. It was really good and I think that's one of the reasons why we were so successful. We were allowed to get into the system very quickly and there was a collaboration from everyone for us to be successful, which was important.

"In Italy at that time football was huge. Every aspect of the game was taken to the extreme and I felt it was too much. I felt it was losing the fun part of it. At the end of the day as footballers, regardless of how big you are or how much you earn, what matters is having fun. What I was feeling was that at that time in Italy, the game was so big, so important, and at such a high level, that it was losing something.

"When I came here I found a high level of football but, above all else, enjoyment.

"I appreciated that very much and that's one of the reasons why myself and many others played for so long for this wonderful club."