Gianfranco Zola is full of pride over his place in Chelsea's history.

Zola was part of a function held at Italy's embassy in London ahead of tonight's Euro qualifier with England.

He told TMW: "At the beginning, moving to Chelsea wasn't easy, I arrived in a new country and I had to learn everything. But very beautiful, very fascinating, stimulating not only for me but also for my entire family.

"Those were years in which Italy had the best championship in the world and I - like Vialli and Di Matteo - made a choice against the current. A choice that later paid off for us, we came from a more advanced league than the English one and we had an advantage, more knowledge.

"In those years the English were not used to having a striker like me. At Chelsea I started as a midfielder, then later 2-3 games Vialli got hurt and I played forward. From that moment on they never moved me again."

On Gianluca Vialli, Zola also said: "He, Di Matteo... They allowed me to enter the English football system more quickly, they already had 2-3 months of experience and they gave me information that immediately helped me break the ice. Then it happened also a friendship, we hung out a lot even off the pitch. They were fundamental things for me and my family."